The Vampire's Prayer
by Skarrow
Summary: AU - Yuuki is a guidance counselor-in-training at Cross Academy... and it's the little mundane decisions she makes in a single night that will influence the mental and emotional well-being of her precious students. And quite possibly her love life. (implied YuukixNight Class; implied YuukixZero)
1. Kain Prologue

**A/N:** I don't own Vampire Knight.

This AU features a 20 year-old Yuuki Cross who is working/training as a school guidance counselor at Cross Academy. Other than that, all of the characters and situations are still relatively the same.

The story is also a bit strange; as you may notice, this prologue is labeled "**ver. Akatsuki Kain**". That's because in future chapters, you will see different versions of the prologue, each of them focusing on a different person. It may not make much sense right now, but... just think along the lines of "butterfly effect" and "what if Yuuki did X instead of Y".

As for the timeline... this story happens about half a year before Chapter 1 of the manga.

Thanks for your time, and please leave a review to let me know what you think!

* * *

**"The Vampire's Prayer"**

* * *

**PROLOGUE** (ver. Akatsuki Kain)

* * *

That night, a soft knock on solid wood echoed through the quiet office of the Cross Academy Counselor. Yuuki Cross loudly called out, "come in!" while continuing to write her report without missing a beat.

The door swung open, and Kaname Kuran stepped into the brightly lit office. He winced a bit, not used to the fluorescent lighting but it didn't bother him too much. Not when his dear Yuuki looked so enchanting under said light... and so endearing to look at as she worked at her messy desk, a serious expression on her face.

"Good evening, Yuuki."

Yuuki looked up at her nighttime guest and smiled warmly. "Kaname! What brings you to my office? Hey, aren't classes still ongoing? You aren't exempt from the school rules, young man," she teased, setting down her pen so she could focus on him.

Kaname chuckled, shutting the door behind him. He loved it when Yuuki was so casual and carefree. "I've come to get the preliminary results of the survey. Also, to ask you a question. Have I come at a bad time?"

"Not at all! Have a seat wherever you like while I get the file."

Yuuki gestured to the office at large with a single sweep of her hand and stood up from her desk. Kaname mumbled a polite "thank you", and gracefully dropped himself down onto a long, black leather couch in one corner of the room. For a moment, he said nothing as the counselor searched through a nearby file cabinet, admiring her humble beauty and grace.

"Yuuki, we haven't seen each other for two days, have we? We've both been so busy."

"Yeah, I know! And for some reason, it feels like so much time has passed."

Kaname studied her from head to toe. "How have you been doing? Are you getting comfortable with your new position at the Academy?"

"Kind of," Yuuki laughed nervously, still searching for the file she needed. "The Night Class students have done nothing particularly bad... instead, they're all still quite aloof. I'd like to have a better rapport with them, but I guess it isn't happening any time soon... maybe because vampire teens act differently than human ones? Or maybe it's too early? I just started a week ago, after all - it isn't as if they'd come to me with their problems or questions just like that. As for the vampire faculty, they all treat me okay. In fact, just yesterday I was able to sit down and have tea with a few of them, and..."

Kaname listened closely as she spoke, and detected a tiny note of disappointment in her cheerful voice. He frowned - he didn't like it if Yuuki was distressed in any way, no matter how insignificant it seemed - and he made a mental note to... _casually_ remind the Night Class students about her counseling services when he got the chance.

Maybe he'd tell the members of his circle, and have them help him spread the word as well. _Casually_.

"And what about the students and teachers of the Day Class? Are you getting along with them, Yuuki?" He asked her once she was finished with her story.

"Oh, yeah, Day Class! They were all very nice and friendly. I was actually really surprised to get such a positive response from the Day Class students - I guess it's because I'm an alumni? Anyways, it's kind of hectic because they all just drop by the office for no apparent reason other than to visit. Which, I guess, isn't a bad thing at all. Oh, and the other teachers threw me a welcoming party in town on the night of my first work day - have I told you about that already? I guess not, since this we haven't seen each other since Monday. And one of my senpai even said..." Yuuki rambled on, finally pulling out the file she needed from the cabinet.

She was so focused on the documents in her hands that she never noticed her dear younger brother's darkening expression. Maybe if she did notice, she would've realized that she was indirectly comparing the Day and Night Classes to each other, unwittingly casting the vampire students in an unfavorable light.

The pureblood exhaled slowly, trying to control his annoyance. He was very disappointed in the performance of his fellow classmates now.

Forget_ casually_ reminding them, he would give them all _a stern talking to_.

"Aaaand here we are: the preliminary findings!" Yuuki exclaimed, presenting the file folder to Kaname with a flourish. "Just_ please_ remember that because it's the very first evaluation, it's prone to all kinds of misinformation; ranging from logical inconsistencies to embarrassingly misspelled words - written by yours truly!"

Kaname was able to school his annoyed expression into one of amusement just in time, and gently took the documents from his sister. A few seconds passed as he flipped through the pages; the vampire realized that this was the perfect chance to do what he really came to the Guidance Counselor's office to do in the first place: to ask Yuuki on a date.

He took a deep breath and tried to sound like his usual self, "Yuuki-chan..."

"What's up?" The older girl had already taken a seat on his left on the leather couch and was watching him study the documents. But when he spoke her name she smiled, encouraging him to say what was on his mind.

Kaname finally summoned enough nerve to look at her directly. "I have something t-"

Just then, the phone on Yuuki's desk started ringing, cutting him off.

* * *

Yuuki loved her brother, and was always happy to spend time with him, no matter how inconsequential their meetings seemed to be.

Meeting Kaname in the middle of the night like this in the Guidance Counselor's office was a pleasant, welcome surprise - she really did miss him somewhat over the past few days, which was kind of strange considering they always saw each other inside the school building whenever Night Classes began.

Maybe it was because they were both acting in accordance to their roles in society. Yuuki was a sensei**(1)**, the school counselor who was to be friends with the entire student body and not favor any one in particular; Kaname was a student, and the head - the president - of the Night Class; the model student who had to set an example of good behavior for his fellow vampires. Which meant they had to keep their interactions to the required minimum. And these boundaries made Yuuki feel lonely, which was why she appreciated those small, precious moments she shared with Kaname outside class hours and behind closed doors.

"Yuuki-chan..."

Yuuki realized with a start that she'd been staring at her brother's face for too long.

"What's up?"

Kaname looked up from the documents he was perusing, smiling gently at her.

"I have something t-"

The phone on her desk abruptly began to ring, startling her and her brother.

"- oh..." Kaname trailed off, blinking slowly from the interruption. "...Ah. Yuuki, it's okay if you answer it." This time his smile was reassuring, which made Yuuki wonder just what kind of expression she'd had on her face a second ago.

That's when she started getting a funny feeling - a twinge in her heart. It sounded corny, but... because of it, Yuuki didn't move to answer the phone, and it continued to ring.

Once...twice... a third time...

"Yuuki-chan, aren't you going to answer that?" Kaname said, confused. "Before the caller hangs up? It must be an important call, to come so late at night like this."

The counselor almost snorted at that. She actually had a very good idea **who** was calling her at this late hour - and that wasn't what was bothering her. Rather, it was the timing of the phone call that did.

"..."

"Yuuki-chan?" Kaname tried again.

She could only smile sheepishly in response. Meanwhile, the phone rang some more.

Yuuki mentally shook her head and forced herself to finally stand and walk to her desk. Why was she being so melodramatic? It's just a phone call, no biggie. Yuuki snatched the thing right off it's cradle before its eleventh ring.

"Guidance Counselor's Office."

"OHHH, my darling daughter, I was _soooo_ worried you wouldn't pick up!" Kaien Cross moaned on the other end. "The phone just kept _ringing_ and _ringing_, and I couldn't help but think something _terrible_ had happened to you!"

"Uhh, yeah, I-"

"Oh, it's alright, Yuuki-chan! I understand! No one can resist the call of Mother Nature! As long as you've finished and cleaned up properly afterwards, of course!"

"D-Dad!" Yuuki half-shouted in embarrassment.

In reality, the Headmaster of Cross Academy was speaking so loudly that Yuuki was positive Kaname could hear it all the way from the couch where he still sat. She loved her adoptive father dearly, but he could say some really strange things.

"Well, I'm honestly glad you're alright, Yuuki-chan. And now, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Make sure to leave your schedule on the twenty-third open!" Kaien sing-songed. "Takuma Ichijou of the Night Class is hosting his seventeenth birthday party, and we've both been invited! Actually, I'm quite sure sure he's going to give you an invitation directly tonight! Eheh, it's been so long since your old man has gotten the chance to party!"

"The twenty-third?" Yuuki glanced at the calendar on her desk. September 23 was... a Saturday, two weeks from now. She didn't think she had anything important to do on that day...

"Also, since we're talking about important dates, please don't forget that the barbeque will push through this coming Saturday, on the sixteenth!"

"Okay, okay..." Yuuki told him. "Well, take care..."

"H-hold on! Why are you in such a rush to hang up?! Yuuki-chan?!"

"Err- I have a guest in the office right now..."

"Oh, in that case, sorry for holding you up! Take care now! I looooove you, Yuuki-chan! Good niiiight!"

And with that, the headmaster finally hung up. Yuuki sighed and practically dropped the phone back on its cradle, feeling fatigued from the phone call. She definitely loved her father Kaien, but he could be so overwhelmingly energetic sometimes.

"Just now, was that the Headmaster?" Kaname laughed from where he sat. "I thought I recognized that voice..."

"Yes, it was." Yuuki sighed and plopped back down next to Kaname on the couch. "Did you hear everything?"

"Ah, no, I didn't hear anything else. I just knew somehow, that it was his voice. What was it about?"

"Ichijou-san's birthday party... he said."

"I see. So you will be attending as well, I take it?"

Yuuki smiled. "Of course! It isn't everyday I'm invited to a vampire noble's birthday party!"

At that particular moment, she happened to glance out the window just in time to see a dark shadow dart away from view. It happened so fast it was almost like an illusion.

"...?"

She blinked, but there was nothing there.

"Yuuki, is there something the matter?" Kaname asked, sounding concerned. He glanced at the window, too.

The counselor blushed, realizing that she had completely missed what her brother was saying. "Err, sorry, did you say something? I was distracted."

"I asked you if you were free this coming Saturday," Kaname said gently, turning back to the older girl. "I'd like to spend the day with you, just like how we used to."

"This coming Saturday, huh? Sure! I don't - oh, no," Yuuki realized with a start. "I'm sorry, I can't... not this Saturday, at least."

She felt really bad - she would've preferred to to spend time with Kaname, but there was another event she needed to attend. So she explained it to him, and when she finished Kaname's face was carefully neutral. "A barbeque? Ah… with your co-workers from the Day Class? So, that call from earlier was about that, too... It can't be helped, let's just move it to another time then," Kaname mused aloud, seeming nonchalant.

But Yuuki had known Kaname for a long time, and could easily tell he was disappointed. "I'm really sorry..."

"There's no need to apologize, Yuuki-chan. Whenever you're free, just let me know. I'm willing to take whatever chance I can get-"

There was a sudden dull** crash**, effectively cutting Kaname off as he spoke. To the young counselor, it sounded like a large number of objects cascading to the ground.

"What was that?!" Yuuki exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "That came from the office next door, but no one should be there right now... maybe it's a burglar?!"

On the other hand, the pureblood himself was already moving, opening the Guidance Office door with a hint of irritation in his behavior. "No need to worry; I shall investigate, and return to you shortly." He said to Yuuki over his shoulder before stepping out into the hallway to confront the intruder.

Yuuki knew that Kaname was more than capable of taking care of whoever it was that disturbed their quiet evening, however, she couldn't help but wonder if she should also go see for herself. She was so very curious to find out who could've risked the wrath of a pureblood vampire like this.

"...What am I waiting for?" She said to herself out loud. The guidance counselor quickly followed after Kaname.

* * *

Yuuki approached the General Services Office door which was wide open, bright fluorescent light streaming out into the dark hallway. She could hear her brother's calm, low voice admonishing someone else, although she didn't quite catch his exact words.

"B-b-b-but! Kaname-sama! We were just worried about you!" An obnoxiously loud male voice protested when Kaname finished speaking. "You were taking so long... we thought you'd never come back! We thought something had happened to you!"

"O-oi, Hanabusa..." a second, deeper male voice cautioned.

Yuuki peeked inside the office. Her attention immediately snapped to the fallen-over bookshelf and the dauntingly large pile of books, folders and papers dumped on the floor. Then there was her brother, standing right at the threshold of chaos with his back to her and his arms crossed. Deeper inside the room were two other members of the Night Class - one was a blonde, and the other a tall guy. They both had matching looks of fear and panic on their faces.

After absorbing what was going on, Yuuki decided to stay silent, as discipline was outside of her range of duties.

"Aidou... for causing a disturbance in the middle of classes, breaking and entering into a closed office, and destruction of school property, you will receive a one-day suspension," Kaname purred dangerously.

"Kaname-samaaa...!" the blonde wailed.

"As for you, Kain..." the pureblood vampire continued, causing the other, taller teen to flinch. "While I don't believe you had any part in this directly... you can't deny the fact that you just let him do whatever he wanted. For this, I also hold you responsible. You will also receive a one-day suspension."

"E-ehh?!" the tall teen gasped.

"Yuuki-sensei? What do you think?" Kaname suddenly turned around to address Yuuki herself, surprising her. She didn't think he would ever ask for her input, much less speak to her while exacting discipline upon his fellow students. "Are the punishments I assigned fair and just? Sensei?"

The two Night Class boys were now staring right at her, too, making her feel a bit awkward. _Geez Kaname, what exactly are you driving at?_ Wondered Yuuki.

"I ask because you haven't spoken a word, despite the look on your face telling me otherwise..." Kaname supplied as if he'd read her mind. Or her facial expression, probably. His handsome face looked as pleasant as ever, but there was something in his smile that grabbed at her attention. It made her think that he was stealthily referring to something other than the punishments he just dished out. What exactly, she didn't kn-

Yuuki quirked an eyebrow. _...Oh, I get it now. You may be my cute brother, but you are also the "Queen Bee" of the Night Class, and Dad's business partner. You want to know if I'm ready for work as a Night Class guidance counselor, don't you? Hee, what a cheeky brat._

"Very funny, Mr. Night Class President," Yuuki replied, giving her best professional smile. "You know very well where I stand on this matter; as a guidance counselor, I have no obligation to participate in any disciplinary issues at the Academy. Buuuut... since you've decided to have me participate..." Yuuki stepped back into the hallway and smiled at them over her shoulder. "Why don't we talk about this in my office? It's just next door, after all."

* * *

Akatsuki Kain was a sharp, level-headed fellow who always trusted his instincts when the available information at hand wasn't enough to base a logical conclusion on. And right now, his instincts were sending him crazy mixed signals that he didn't understand.

_Run. __Stay._

There was a loud, sharp knock, and Zero Kiryu suddenly barged into the office, looking quite pissed. When he noticed the two vampires sitting on the couch the anger on his face visibly worsened. But before he could say or do anything, Yuuki Cross marched right up to Zero and - to the confusion of Akatsuki and his cousin - "chopped" the silver haired teen solidly on his head.

"OWW!"

"That's for trying to start a fight with the Night Class students in my office!"

"What are you talking about?! I didn't even do anything!"

"Not _yet_, you mean! I could see your petty insults coming a mile away! Now go back home!"

Akatsuki silently watched the exchange with morbid fascination. It was obvious that these two were very close.

Kiryu made a face - a cross between a scowl and a pout - and left the room as quickly as he'd come. Cross shook her head and went back to making tea. The teenager continued to stare at her. For an adult, she was on the petite side, he absently noted to himself. In fact, if Cross weren't wearing heels she'd be nearly two heads shorter than Akatsuki himself.

"The tea is ready! No need to hold back now!" Came a sing-song voice.

Akatsuki watched Guidance Counselor Cross as she carefully set down a tray with three steaming cups of tea on the coffee table before settling down on the couch opposite the one Akatsuki and his cousin were perched. Kaname Kuran himself was not present because he had to go back to class, and he was chased out of the guidance counselor's office by this spirited young woman herself, who claimed he was "getting in the way of her job". However, Akatsuki had not missed the gentle smile (read: barely-concealed threat) that their "gang-leader" had given them right before he finally left. The implied message was clear... _if you do anything to harm her in any way I will **end** you_.

The mellow vampire did not understand why Kaname Kuran was so protective of this woman, but he wasn't keen on dying anytime soon either.

"Alright, sooo... I have yet to hear the entire story from the two of you. Kaname Kuran gave me a short report of the events he witnessed; could you please tell me your side? Starting with you?" She spoke politely and kindly.

_Run. Stay._

Akatsuki blinked, realizing a second too late that she was referring to himself when Hanabusa brute-forced his way into the conversation. "Kaname-sama left class, saying he would only be out for five minutes! He was gone for over ten!" He exclaimed self-righteously. "Seiren was supposed to be his bodyguard, but she didn't even budge! Why didn't she accompany him in the first place?! What if something happened to him?! I would never forgive myself! So I searched for him, all over the campus! Searched until... I found him in _a clandestine meeting with you_!"

Hanabusa surged to his feet, glaring down at the young woman with irritation and just a bit of jealousy. "Now let me ask you this! _What is your relationship with Kaname-sama?!"_

Akatsuki sighed inwardly. His cousin probably missed Kaname's subtle threat message earlier. They were going to be in so much trouble now...

Cross calmly blinked up at the blonde's sudden aggressiveness.

"Me? I'm just his biological mother, that's all."

There was a loooooong, horrible pause.

"..."

"..."

**"WHAT?!"**

"Ohhh... ahahahaha!" The counselor laughed, trying to smother her mirth with her hand and failing. "I'm so sorry! I just couldn't help it - the timing was so perfect, and the expressions on your faces were so priceless!"

"Shut up! That's not funny at all!" Hanabusa shouted, pointing at her accusingly. "You, a mere human would dare claim to be a pureblood's mother?! Blasphemy! Even if it's a joke, and a really bad one at that, it's pure blasphemy!"

"And now, it's your turn, Kain-san," Cross shifted her attention back to the calmer vampire, sobering up quicker than Akatsuki thought possible for an average human. "Won't you please tell me your version of the events?"

_Run. Stay._

"Stop ignoring me, you blasphemous wench!" the blonde complained. But when his cousin gave him a retired look, he pouted and dropped back onto the couch, arms crossed defiantly.

Akatsuki sighed, trying to shake off his conflicting emotions and answered, "It's just as Hanabusa says. He got overly worried when the Dorm Head didn't come back within five minutes. So I tagged along with him to search, and we happened to overhear his voice coming from this office. We snuck into the office next door and then we, ah, accidentally knocked the bookshelf over when we were eavesdropping."

Cross absorbed this information with a nod of her head, and reached out for a cup of tea. "And so? What lessons have we learned today from this little adventure? Aidou-san? Kain-san?"

"...Don't ever do this again?" Hanabusa supplied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. It didn't matter where he got in trouble; everyone told him the exact same thing.

Cross stared at the blonde vampire for a moment. "Aidou-san... do you think Kaname Kuran to be a... weak, helpless individual?"

"Of course not! No one is more powerful, elegant and noble than Kaname-sama!" Hanabusa shouted indignantly. "I respect him above everyone else! I want to protect him!"

At this outburst a brilliant, giddy smile broke out across the guidance counselor's face, startling both vampires. For some reason, Akatsuki thought it was like looking directly at the sun, only without getting blinded. It was very arresting.

_Run. Stay._

"I'm very happy to hear that from you, Aidou-san," she said. "And to be honest, I'm really touched you feel so strongly about protecting him."

"W-what?"

"I believe you when you say you did this with Kaname Kuran's safety at heart. But, you also said it yourself - the President of the Night Class is powerful. A pureblood, no less."

"So you're saying, I should just stand aside and leave him unprotected?!" Hanabusa demanded, incredulousness in his voice.

Cross carefully drank her tea before replying, "I'm saying... maybe you could trust your President a bit more? Trust in his ability, and his word... it's true that he was gone longer than he intended, but he did promise to return eventually, at least. Didn't he?" When Hanabusa didn't reply for a few seconds, Cross continued, "I admit that I still don't really understand the significance of a pureblood in your society, but it's obvious to everyone at school that he is the kind of leader who wants to take matters in his own hands. He appears not to want a protective shield, but perhaps an important instrument that could help him achieve his goals. And isn't that what you and your cousin are, Aidou-san? Kaname Kuran calls you his 'trusted right-hand men'... So you could respond in kind, and trust him back."

* * *

"What's wrong, Aidou? You're very quiet. Not that I'm complaining, but this isn't normal for you." Rima Touya's voice was martini dry.

Hanabusa bristled. "...Sh-shut up, I'm thinking!"

Akatsuki and his cousin were finally dismissed from the Guidance Office at midnight, and just in time too because it was currently the Night Class' break. They were eating with the others at the cafeteria as usual, but Hanabusa himself had been oddly silent, almost morose as he played with his food. Ruka, Ichijou and the others knew that he'd gotten punished and assumed his current behavior was because of that. Akatsuki alone thought otherwise; it was most likely because of what the guidance counselor had told them during their visit that the blonde was acting this way.

The fire-wielding vampire didn't think anyone besides the Kuran could affect Hanabusa to this extent, with mere words. He recalled the gentle but firm way she spoke, the way she carried herself, the open face and the fearless way she looked them directly in the eyes as she did these things. Everything she didn't say, aloud, was also clearly conveyed with her non-verbal signals and cues. That, combined with the professional yet soft stance she'd taken was enough to drive her teaching home.

There was also the way she spoke of Kuran. She did a good job glossing over it, but Akatsuki had a hunch that part of the reason why her words affected Hanabusa so much was because she was telling him the truth. She may not have been Kuran's "biological mother" like she'd joked, but she probably _did_ know a side to the pureblood that no one else understood. Yes, she was connected to the pureblood in some way... though he did not know what kind of connection it was.

...And then there were those crazy, contradicting urges he felt in her prescence earlier. He'd wanted to run as far away as he could from her. He'd also wanted to stay, and study her more. He needed to put as much distance between them as physically possible... and he needed to know more about her. It was giving him a headache just trying to think about it.

Suddenly, from somewhere deep inside him he felt the slightest twinge of yearning.

Was he... thirsty?

He'd taken two tablets earlier, before the first period, and it was usually enough to last him the entire night. But there was no use denying what he felt. He'd rather not get punished even more by Kuran, so he fished in his pocket for his packet of blood tablets.

...But it wasn't in his pocket, like he expected. Confused, he started searching every conceivable place on his uniform he'd put it, slowly growing more worried with every passing second. His fumbling soon caught the attention of his cousins at the table.

"Is something wrong, Akatsuki?" Ruka asked.

"I need a blood tablet, but I can't find the packet..." Akatsuki replied absent-mindedly, still searching himself. He suddenly thought of the General Services Office, the one he and Hanabusa were caught in earlier. Had he dropped it there? He was sure he still had it on him while searching for Kuran with his cousin, so this might be the case. Or maybe, he accidentally left it at the Guidance Counselor's Office?

"Here, you can have one."

Akatsuki caught the packet of blood tablets Hanabusa had tossed at him.

"Thanks."

He didn't bother with water, choosing instead to consume the drug directly. The bitter aftertaste was irritating, but his bloodlust was noticeably subdued.

"Was it a really strong one? Your... sudden craving, I mean." Hanabusa was now speaking to him with his 'scientist' tone of voice.

"Not really." Akatsuki shrugged. "I just thought I felt one coming on."

"You _thought_ you felt one? What are you talking about?"

"...Sorry I can't explain it better."

Hanabusa stared at him for a second and sighed. "Okay, but let me know if it happens again. This might be a sign of your body developing an immunity against the tablets." Without waiting for a reply, the teen genius stood up and left the cafeteria.

"What's the matter with Hanabusa?" Ruka asked no one in particular, watching her cousin leave.

Akatsuki, who had also watched his cousin leave, decided it was time to excuse himself as well.

He needed to find his blood tablets.

* * *

The night was darker than usual because of how cloudy it was. Nevertheless it didn't hamper Akatsuki's ability to navigate through the shadowy, empty hallways of the Academy. He was a vampire, after all.

The first thing he noticed was that the lights in the General Services Office were on, and the door wide open. He crept towards the office and peeked through the doorway. Yuuki Cross was there, standing very still. She didn't even seem to notice him, so Akatsuki knocked on the door to announce his presence.

"Sensei? Is it okay if I come in?"

...There was no response. Did she not hear him?

"Sensei?" He tried again, louder this time. Still no response. And was it just him, or was she trembling?

The teen vampire cautiously stepped into the office - which was still chaotic due of the mess of books and papers on the floor - and approached the guidance counselor. "Sensei? Are you alright?" He called out to her softly. Now that he was closer, he saw that she was indeed trembling all over, shaking like a leaf. Without thinking, he placed a hand on her shoulder-

"?!"

In the next second, Akatsuki found himself sailing through the air.

* * *

**END OF PROLOGUE **(ver. Akatsuki Kain)

* * *

Notes:

(1) **"Yuuki was a sensei, the school counselor who was to be friends with the entire student body and not favor any one in particular..."  
**  
I used the word "sensei" as opposed to "teacher" in this sentence because I felt that the japanese term conveyed the idea better than the english one. Because Yuuki - and other guidance counselors - aren't actually teachers. They are rather the "experts", the "seniors" of their field. "Sensei" refers to her social rank at school rather than her profession.


	2. Kain END

**A/N:** Hold on, people! This is the end of the Kain arc, but this fanfic isn't completely finished yet! I still need to write for the other Night Class guys and Zero!

As for all your questions regarding the plot... some will be answered while others won't. At least, not in this particular fanfic, but in my planned upcoming sequel, **599 million ruins.**

Hmm, this is the author's section, so it's okay if I babble a bit, right? If you don't like it, then go ahead and skip this part entirely.

Ahem, so...

Counselor!Yuuki was chiefly inspired by VivisQueen's review of the Vampire Knight anime, on anime-planet. Specifically where VivisQueen says, and I quote, **"[...]the characters spend more time nuzzling each other's necks in hopeless abandon than they do talking sensibly about their problems."**

And then, the plot bunny was born. At first, I was trying to make Yuuki an actual teacher, but it didn't work because I didn't want the age difference to be too wide, and teachers of the Night Class are generally vampire hunters (Yagari, Kaito) who teach _Ethics_ of all things! The only subject in the world (sarcasm)! Making her a Day Class teacher would be very challenging, but when I think of all the work an actual, normal high school teacher has to do, Yuuki wouldn't have much of a chance to interact with our sexy nocturnal bishounen. So I exhausted that idea completely. And then I decided, since it's my intent to have Yuuki as this older woman who could patiently guide these vampire teens I thought to myself, "why am I being so coy about this?! I'll just stick Yuuki as a guidance counselor, because that's what I clearly intend for her to do anyways!"

Don't misunderstand. I don't want to make all of their problems magically go away (because then Vampire Knight would end up a light-hearted romantic comedy, the anti-thesis of the entire plot). In the beginning, Yuuki struck me as the nurturing, caring type. I really was expecting her to become acquainted with all of the characters (male and female alike) and learn their stories, maybe something akin to how it was played out in **_Fushigi Yuugi_**. I swore it would go in that direction. But it didn't (the love-triangle ended up the core focus) and the poor other characters ended up severely overshadowed by Kaname, Zero and Yuuki.

I just felt that, if they just talked about their feelings freely in a controlled setting, without fear of being judged or rediculed, they could begin to cope. I admit to being a sad sap who believes in happy endings, but think about it! They could take that difficult first step on that long road to recovery (and the manga wouldn't have stretched out that long).

I don't know about you, but the entire Vampire Knight franchise is kind of like my guilty pleasure. But VivisQueen's review, a well as a lot of others on the net, speak the truth - so much pain and heartache could've generally been avoided if the poor, tortured (yet beautiful) characters just told _somebody_ what they felt instead of acting so melodramatic. And stopped speaking so vaguely. I swear I lose track of what they're talking about during the most critical moments, with all their trailing off and mysterious whispers and general dodging of the issue. And don't get me started with the amount of lying they do, and I'm not just talking about Kaname and Zero, I mean **_everybody_** is guilty of this. Talk about a lack of communication! Is it any wonder why they end up misunderstanding each other so much? It's almost as bad as a Korean soap opera. Not that I have anything against Korean soap operas, but those who do watch them will generally understand what I mean.

...Welp, that's the end of my pointless ramble! Everything stated above is solely an opinion, my opinion. In the end, I'm just like the rest of you guys, squealing over those sexy, angsty vampire bishounen.

Thanks again for reading! Don't forget to leave a review!

* * *

**"The Vampire's Prayer"**

* * *

**Second Impressions Are Everything** (Akatsuki Kain route)

* * *

Yuuki sighed, finishing a stack of papers and moving on to make a new pile. For the past twenty minutes she'd made an effort to clean up the mess in the General Services Office, tackling the scattered paperwork first. This wasn't actually a part of her job, but she needed a certain printout to complete her report and it was buried somewhere in the mess. So as she searched for it, she did her best to rearrange whatever files she got ahold of, as it would help her in the long run.

She tried to push a stack of books out of the way, but they ended up tumbling down in a heap. Grumbling, she picked them up and piled them atop each other again one by one.

There was a piece of paper sticking out of one of the books, so she pulled it out. Almost immediately, her gaze caught on the word "co-existence". The paper in question appeared to be a late-submitted English assignment, by a Day Class student most likely.

Co-existence...

Cross Academy was everything her father, Kaien had struggled for. It was his dream for vampires and humans to one day live together in peace and harmony and the Academy itself was built specifically for this ideal. There was no question that there were many vampires who wanted co-existence as well. But there were also vampires who still viewed humans as a food source...

Yuuki screwed her eyes tightly shut as her memories of nine years ago threatened to resurface. Every fiber of her being tightened as she struggled to keep those horrible thoughts down. But in the end, she only managed to suppress the images themselves, not the feelings they evoked. Fear, desperation, confusion, panic, pain... so much had happened to her on that dark, snowy night. The papers in her hands dropped to the floor, and her whole body began to quiver. She never heard the knock on the office door, or the deep voice calling out to her with concern. All she could hear was the erratic beating of her own heart as the terror gripped her completely.

When Yuuki felt a large male hand settle upon her shoulder, she didn't think, didn't question, didn't turn around to confront. Her body reflexively responded in the way her father Kaien had trained her to respond.

And one second later, Akatsuki Kain lay sprawled on the floor at her feet.

She stared at down him wide-eyed and open-mouthed, her face burning and her insides flip-flopping as the realization of what she'd just done dawned on her. She had just heaved a _Noble class-vampire_ over her shoulder. She had just slammed to the ground one of the very vampire students she'd wanted to get closer to.

"Oh no..." Her groan mingled with his.

Kain gingerly rose to a sitting position on the floor, wincing uncomfortably. Yuuki didn't slam him down that hard, did she? While she continued to gawk at him, mortified, he in turn stared up at her with a stunned expression. "Sensei... were you a former commando or something?" Thankfully, he looked more bewildered than hurt... but that wasn't the issue here.

Yuuki felt her face flush an even deeper shade of red. Flinging around her precious students was not the way to build a favorable reputation at the Academy; throwing the Night Class students to the ground was not going to help her win their trust and respect. She wasn't expecting to ever be considered their friend, but trust and respect were essential to her job. "I'm...I'm so sorry," she whispered, too humiliated to speak any louder. She covered her face with both hands and squeezed her eyes shut, fervently praying that by the time she opened them he would magically disappear, and that everything was just a dream.

When nothing happened, Yuuki cautiously peeked at him through her fingers. Kain was still sitting on the floor. He had adopted a more relaxed pose, with one knee drawn up and an arm draped over it. He was now looking out the open door at the handful of Night Class students who were watching the situation from the dark hallway with rapt interest. His thick, arched eyebrows were drawn together and his mouth was twisted into an annoyed frown. His clothes were even more disheveled than before, and his hair was spilling rakishly over his forehead.

Her heartbeat quickened, and Yuuki knew that the exertion from throwing him was only part of the reason. She could have reasoned that it was because he startled her. She could've reasoned that she was just feeling the after effects of her adrenaline rush. She could've reasoned a whole bunch of things, but they would've been lies. The young woman didn't want to admit it, but Kain was damned sexy. She didn't know a lot of people who could look like they were posing for a camera right after getting tossed like that, but she imagined that Kain and the other nobles of the Night Class always looked attractive regardless. Was this the legendary magnetism of the vampires at work? Even in the middle of a situation like this, she couldn't stop herself from having such thoughts... it was scary.

"I'm really, really sorry," she mumbled again in the agony of embarrassment. Not even attraction could suppress the shame she felt.

Kain studied her for a moment.

"So you say," he drawled. "Do you do this to every man you meet, or every vampire? Or was I singled out?"

"You snuck up on me!" Yuuki said accusingly, pointing at him. Realizing what she was doing, she yanked her hand back and averted her gaze, ashamed. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down from her wild outburst and allowed, "I was distracted, and I didn't notice you come in."

Kain's eyebrows rose, then fell. "You 'didn't notice me come in'? That's a real understatement, if I ever heard one. Well, I always knew better than to approach Ruka from behind. I guess that rule actually applies to all women..."

"I am really, really, **really** sorry, Kain-san," the counselor said contritely, holding out her hand to help him stand up.

He eyed her hand dubiously. "I'm not sure if I should take that," he said dryly. "Sensei, do you promise not to twist my arm behind my back and slam me face-first into a wall?"

Yuuki couldn't help but laugh with both relief and humor. Akatsuki Kain was taking this way better than most men would have - she had humiliated him in front of his peers and here he was making jokes at his own expense, keeping the atmosphere from getting too tense. She could feel her shame and discomfort slowly ebbing away as he looked up at her with a self-depreciating smile and a surprisingly playful twinkle in his eyes. She felt immensely grateful for what he was doing.

Her own smile slowly faded as she realized just how easily he'd breached her mental defenses. She couldn't afford to let her guard down around a student, much less a vampire. It jeopardized her position at the Academy and her capacity to think and reason objectively.

"I'll be on my best behavior," she promised soberly.

"I'm not exactly reassured, but I'll just have to take your word for it." He grasped her small hand with his and gracefully rose to his feet.

Yuuki gawked at him in disbelief. Somehow he'd managed not to look rumpled in the slightest... err, wait, that wasn't quite right. It was normal for him to look unkempt - just not as much as he was earlier. Kain was very tall, almost two heads taller than her, and she had to tilt her head back a little just to look him in the eyes. He was also broad-shouldered, with a muscular build, and lacked the pale complexion most vampires seemed to have. All of this, combined with his wild, strawberry blond hair he reminded her of a mountain lion. It was taking a bit of effort on her part just to hold back her feminine reactions.

His eyes, she noticed, was not the dark brown she thought them to be, but a lovely shade of amber, with flecks of gold. Earlier he'd looked at her with a playful twinkle in his eyes, and it had surprised her. She didn't think this quiet, stone-faced vampire could ever give that kind of expression, or any expression aside from boredom. Even now those expressive eyes of his were droopy, gentle, and...wary? Wait, why was he _wary_? She didn't actually hurt him, did she? How odd.

Yuuki decided to break the silence before it stretched too long.

"Kain-san, is there anything I can help you with?"

* * *

Her hand was much smaller than his larger one, and fit comfortably in his. It felt like, if he weren't careful he may end up crushing those slender fingers... But Cross was not a weak woman. Her behavior towards him so far had greatly varied, but not once did she show any fear. Who could've thought that someone as petite as her could have so much courage?

The moment Akatsuki was back on his feet, the subtle gnawing inside him resurfaced once again and it was stronger than before. It confused him; he'd just taken another blood tablet less than five minutes ago, and he didn't feel particularly thirsty right now either, so why? And to make it more complicated, once again, Kain's instincts were overloading with two separate and distinct sensations: To make a break for it... and to stay as long as possible. Maybe... maybe his body really was developing an immunity to the blood tablets?

"Kain-san, is there anything I can help you with?" Yuuki asked him suddenly, her sweet brown eyes examining him.

"Oh, uhh, right." Akatsuki started, scratching the back of his head. "Cross-sensei, I seem to have misplaced my packet of blood tablets. I was wondering if you've seen it."

"Huh? No, I haven't seen anything like that..." she trailed off, glancing around the room, which was still pretty chaotic with the mess of books and papers. Akatsuki followed her gaze and a corner of his mouth quirked up. It didn't take a genius to figure out why she wouldn't find his tablets in this office.

"Ah! Why don't you take a look inside the Guidance Office? Here, come with me."

Yuuki lead the vampire to her own office, unlocking the door and ushering him in. Even though it was dark, the vampire teen still noticed that the window was slightly ajar, the cool night breeze gently blowing into the darkened room.

While the older woman turned on the lights, Akatsuki immediately moved to the couch he sat on earlier that night, patting the leather cushions and running his fingers through every conceivable space the pillbox could've fallen into.

"Oh, I think I found it!" Cross exclaimed a minute later. She had taken it upon herself to help him search for it, and was currently bent down low on the floor, staring hard as she tried to see through the darkness under the couch. "That small, boxy thing with the rose insigna on it... it's got to be your medicine!"

"Where?" Kain knelt down in front of the counselor so he could also try to see.

"Don't worry, I think I can reach it." She slipped her hand underneath the leather couch.

At that exact moment, Akatsuki sensed something under the couch move.

His pulse sped up. He shot his arm out, grabbing Cross by the shoulder, and pulled as hard as he could.

"Sensei!"

"Waaugh?!"

Right when she was yanked away, a small dark shadow leapt out from under the couch, teeth bared.

Akatsuki fell flat on his back with a thud. One arm was wrapped solidly around the counselor's waist, who had lost her balance and was now sprawled painfully on top of him. With his other arm, he made a quick gesture and his signature flames roared from the very floorboards themselves, shooting straight for the tiny assailant that he finally recognized as... a large rat...?! And was it just him, or did it have mismatched colored eyes?

Said rat was somehow effortlessly dodging his fire. It scrambled further away, hissing and snapping. Akatsuki did his best to contain it without accidentally burning the office furniture but in the next moment, the rodent flashed through the air and nimbly slipped out the window, all within the space of three seconds.

Silence descended upon the office once again, save the sound of the wind blowing into the room. With a sigh, the vampire made the fire dissipate. Luckily, nothing was damaged. The floors were slightly singed though, and the air was smoky.

"What..._ was_ that?!" Cross gasped, rolling off of the vampire and shivering. She cradled herself with both arms. "A... a monster or something?"

Or something. That was a close call, Akatsuki admitted silently to himself. If he wasn't there... if he hadn't pulled her away in time..."It was a rat," he told her after a minute.

"...I'm speechless," Cross mumbled a moment later, carefully rising to her feet. "And I think it's high time I contacted pest control. Maybe tomorrow." She shook her head and laughed shakily to herself; she wasn't hurt, and sounded very much relieved. She smiled bravely at him. "Thank you, Kain-san! You've saved me!"

"No problem." The noble frowned, replaying the events in his head. The rat that tried to attack Yuuki Cross just now was obviously either a vampire, or a vampire's familiar. He wasn't sure which one he preferred. The important question was, what was it doing here? In the Guidance Office, of all places... was it specifically targeting Cross? But why?

Akatsuki crawled back to the couch and slipped his arm underneath. He felt the pillbox, grabbed it and dragged it out. He sighed again. Who could've possibly predicted that finding his lost tablets would end up with a nasty surprise like this?

"Oh, it's almost one in the morning," Cross said absently, noticing the wall clock. "Kain-san, you just needed to find your blood tablets, right? If you hurry, you'll make it back in time for your next class."

"Right." And perfect timing, too. He could report this incident to Kuran.

They left the office in silence, and Cross securely locked the door before turning around to face her companion, looking much calmer than earlier.

"Thanks again. Take care of yourself, alright?"

"Sensei, what about you?"

She grinned sheepishly up at him. "I still need to finish up at the General Services Office. I sort of left everything half-arranged, eheh."

Akatsuki watched her disappear back into General Services with a contemplative look on his face. Indeed, if he didn't get moving he'd be late for class; he was already in trouble in the first place, and he wasn't keen on getting additional punishment. And he still needed to report to the pureblood about the tiny assailant hiding in Cross' office.

But what if the strange rat hadn't left yet? What if it was just biding its time, waiting for another opportunity to strike? The counselor was alone in the office, and she could be caught off guard again. If Cross really was being targeted... if anything happened to her, what would Kaname Kuran do? He shuddered at the terrifying prospect of a raging pureblood. Maybe... it would be better if he stuck around a bit longer to make sure she was alright... Yeah, that's what he should do.

He glanced down at the pillbox in his hand. Was it really okay, though, to be alone with her when he himself was experiencing strange, random bouts of yearning? Did he trust himself to have enough self-control? He had his pills, so he should do alright... Sometime before and after finding his blood tablets, the subtle hunger in his gut had reduced to a dull throb all on its own. He really didn't get it. He also wasn't sure if what he was feeling was really bloodlust.

But the safety of "Kuran's woman" was important.

* * *

Akatsuki stepped forward and rapped his knuckles on the wooden door.

"Cross-sensei, I'm coming in." _And don't throw me this time._

The counselor jerked up with a comically surprised look on her open face. She had a thick stack of papers in her arms and a book tucked under her armpit. Her hair was a little mussed - from what happened earlier, perhaps. And was it just him, or did the room look more chaotic than before? Was she really cleaning up the mess or making it worse?

"Huh?! Kain-san, I thought you went to class? What's wrong? Is there something else you lost? You're running late!"

Now, what was he going to tell her? He had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate him staying behind for her sake, or for Kuran's sake. Lying wasn't the way to go, either. So he settled for logic: "It was partly my fault why you have to fix the shelf, and since I'm already here I can help."

"Oh, you're really going to help?! Thank you! I thought I'd be stuck here until dawn, but if the two of us work then I'll be finished quicker!" Cross put down everything she was holding and clapped her hands together excitedly, gratitude shining in her eyes. She gestured towards the fallen-over bookshelf. "First, let's get this shelf back up so we can start putting the books back in. It'll be easier and faster for us in the long run, I think..."

The mellow vampire obeyed, immediately bending down and taking hold of one end of the wooden bookshelf while the counselor grabbed the other end.

"Cross-sensei, it's okay. I got this."

"You're supposed to be _helping_ me, not doing all the work for me," Cross teased him gently. "Ready?"

"...Ready."

The sensei and the student moved as one, pulling the shelf up and shoving it back in place with a dull **thump**. It ended up looking a bit crooked, but Akatsuki easily forced it into a more even position with a bit of his strength.

"Hee hee, it's perfect!"

The vampire glanced down at her. "The books come next, right?"

"Right. Encyclopedias go on the very top, then the atlus, then the dictionaries. The binders go on the bottom shelf - white first, then blue, then black in descending numerical order. While you do that, I'll do my best to rearrange all the documents back in their respective folders. And no peeking at the files, okay?!"

"Sure..."

"And one more thing. I'm looking for a certain printout. If you see a paper with this weird black-and-white abstract art on it, can you let me know?"

"What do you need it for?" Akatsuki had already set himself to work, and was speaking over his shoulder at her.

"Eheh, I accidentally submitted it too early, and I need it back. My report won't be complete without it."

"...Should you even be telling me this...?"

Silence descended upon the pair as they did their own separate tasks. Akatsuki's weird hunger was very subdued, to the point that he could barely feel it. His insane urge to hightail it out of there was also mysteriously absent. So far, so good. He wouldn't need to worry about accidentally attacking the counselor for now.

He glanced at her out of the corner his eye. Ah... her face was scrunched up from concentrating, and she was giving the documents in her hands a dark glare. It was kind of funny to see...

His gaze continued to linger along - Cross had been wearing a royal blue blazer earlier that night, but at the moment it was carelessly slung over the back of a nearby chair. Now he could see that she wasn't as skinny as he initially thought but nice and shapely, with a slim waist. Her black leather skirt perfectly gloved the curve of her hips and the firmness of her thighs. She had also smoothed down her hair at one point because it wasn't sticking out at crazy angles anymore, falling loosely behind her instead. Compared to Ruka, who was beautiful in a divine, untouchable way, as perfect as a porcelain doll; Yuuki Cross' looks were warm and sensual, humble and welcoming.

It finally hit him - Cross-sensei really was an... adult.

"Kain-san?"

"Yes, sensei?"

Cross had finished reorganizing her third file folder, and set it down on the slowly growing pile before turning around. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything about your and Aidou-san's punishment."

The tall vampire simply continued to work but he gave her a look over his shoulder, letting her know that he was listening and that she should continue. ...Although, why she would even apologize for something like that was something beyond him.

"Well, I just think that a one-day suspension is too harsh a punishment. Nothing was actually damaged beyond repair, and you didn't bother any of the other Night Class students," she rambled. "Breaking and entering is a grave offense in itself, but I think a simple detention would've sufficed, and... and... I'm blowing this out of proportion, aren't I?"

Akatsuki allowed himself to smile.

She blushed. "Okay, I get it. I'll shut up now."

"Don't get too caught up, sensei. You're only one woman - you can only handle so much, so don't stretch yourself out too thinly."

"Ack... if my own student is lecturing me on how to do my job then it's just as I thought; I still have a long way to go before I'm a full-fledged guidance counselor..."

"Thank you for worrying about us though, Cross-sensei. And thank you for what you did for Hanabusa."

"Are you talking about what I said to him about Kaname Kuran earlier?"

"Yes. He really needed to hear that," Akatsuki said seriously, stopping so he could face the counselor. "And you were able to help him take a step in the right direction."

Yuuki grinned. "I'm just glad to be of service."

They just stood there, smiling at one another for a few seconds before going back to whatever it was they were doing. If possible, the atmosphere between them was much more relaxed than before; they weren't even trying to keep the conversation going anymore, but the vampire didn't mind. He liked this silence - it was comfortable and soothing. He didn't mind being around energetic people and in fact, he welcomed it. But this was a nice change of pace. Aah, if only he could experience this kind of sensation at least once or twice, everyday...

It took Akatsuki at least five minutes before he finally snapped out of this strange bout of bliss, and remembered the _real_ reason why he was there in the first place - to protect Cross. He had to focus.

He also remembered something trivial... surely, making small talk with the spirited woman was okay?

"Sensei, I didn't think you'd end up doing the cleaning in here."

"Oh, umm, the General Services Office is sort of like... "everybody's" office, you know? And because the entire staff uses it, it needs to be properly taken care of by each and every one of us. If I just left the mess as is, it's the same as disrespecting my co-workers. Does that make sense?"

Akatsuki thought about her words, about her actions, and her previous actions earlier that night. And he realized-

"That fanatical sense of justice you have might get you in trouble one day..."

"Huh?"

He cleared his throat. "Nothing. It was nothing important."

* * *

Later on that night, Yuuki, who was now safe and sound at home, was just about to crawl into the double bed she shared with her younger brother when she happened to glance up at him-

"?!"

Zero Kiryu was taking his shirt off. In front of a _goddamn open window_.

"You _moron_!"

Yuuki zoomed up to him with uncharacteristic speed and chopped him squarely on his forehead.

"OWW!"

"Zero, I told you not to strip in front of an open window! Draw the curtains first! Are you trying to attract those creeps outside to our place?!"

"...Says the crazy woman who walks around with no pants."

"I'm wearing shorts!" Yuuki shouted.

"I wouldn't have pointed it out if all six feet of your legs weren't showing!" Zero shouted right back. "I have band-aids that cover more skin than your shorts!"

"Stop trying to dodge the issue! You're the one who keeps taking his shirt off in front of open windows, you... you exhibitionist!"

Yuuki delivered a second, swift chop to Zero's forehead-

"ARGH!"

-and marched away in a huff.

"Grrr..."

Zero walked to his side of the bed, grabbed a big fluffy pillow by the corner and solidly whacked the back of the older girl's head with it.

"Gaah?!"

Yuuki snatched up her own pillow and brandished it. "I'm armed and dangerous! Don't underestimate your elder, _Zero-rin_!**(1)**"

"What did you just call me?!"

"_ZERO_. _RIN_."

"_Why you_-!"

The adoptive siblings then proceeded to furiously beat at each other with their pillows in a no-holds-barred, one-on-one pillowfight match of the century. In other words, it was just another evening (early morning) at the Cross private residence as usual.

At some point, Zero was able to successfully wrench Yuuki's pillow from her grasp with his free hand. Yuuki herself knew that trying to match up against him in a tug-of-war was a losing battle - he was physically stronger than her because one, he was a man, and two, he was training to be a vampire hunter. So she only kept up the struggle until her fingers began to ache, then purposely released the pillow, catching the silver-haired teen off balance. With a surprised yelp, Zero fell backwards on the double-bed, flat on his back with his legs hanging over the edge.

"Rrraaagh!"

With a battle cry, Yuuki pounced on Zero, smacking on top of him like a wrestler, momentarily knocking the wind out of him.

"Oof?!"

Of course, because Yuuki was kind of light in general, the overall effect was about as shocking and painful as a soft, adult human-sized body pillow smashing into him. It only took the teen half a second to recover from the assault, clamping his arms around her waist and rolling them both over so he was on top.

Yuuki knew what was coming next - this had happened so many times during previous nights - and if she didn't escape, she would lose this round! So she struggled, kicking out with both legs and flailing both her arms in an exaggerated manner, doing her very best to squirm away from Zero. But Zero, who had also learned from previous "battles" simply grabbed one of her ankles-

"N-noooo!"

-and began tickling the sole of her dainty foot. Relentlessly.

"Noooooooo! Ahahahaha! Gahahahaha! _Noooooooo_!"

She tried to sit up so she could pry his fingers off, but her stomach and her sides were already hurting from her laughter.

"Stop! Please! Wahahahaha! Mercy!"

"Promise that you'll never call me by that damn nickname again!"

"I...! Heeheehee, ahahahahaha! I p-promise!"

Zero finally released her foot, letting it fall unceremoniously back on the bed. Yuuki covered her flushed face with both hands, trying to calm herself down. After a minute, she peeked out at him through her fingers.

"...Meanie."

"Hmph. Just hurry up and move out of the way already Yuuki, so we can go to sleep. You're taking up my side."

Yuuki huffed but relented, scooching closer to the right side of the bed. Which was "officially" designated as her side.

Zero hit the wall switch, and everything was instantly awash in darkness. He moved around the room to jerk all of the curtains shut so the morning light wouldn't shine through, checked the time, checked his Bloody Rose gun for the last time and then finally slipped back into the bed next to his adoptive sister.

It was quiet for a moment, with only the sounds of crickets chirping outside and the tree leaves shuddering in the blowing wind. And then Yuuki said, "We haven't done that for nearly two weeks now, have we Zero? It's like, all of a sudden we both come home at different times, or we're just so tired we skip everything and just ship off to dreamland."

"...I like that, actually."

"Aww, but it's like one of the very few times we ever get to bond! And it's also one of the few times I ever see you with your guard down completely..."

"Go to sleep already, it's three in the morning."

"..."

"..."

"Zero?"

"Nn?"

Yuuki shifted, so that she was lying on her side facing the teen. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"No." The answer was blunt, direct. Zero didn't bother moving, choosing to stay on his back. He didn't spare her a glance, either.

The older girl didn't say anything else, staring as hard as she could at Zero. She was trying to read his facial expression. But it was already dark, and her eyelids were heavy, so she eventually gave up, reaching out and taking Zero's hand reassuringly in hers, safe and warm under the bed covers. She cracked a tiny smile when she felt him comply, opening his hand so she could thread her fingers securely through his.

"...Okay. Goodnight, Zero."

And then Yuuki closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep, very much content.

"..."

Beside her, Zero stared at the ceiling, his expression thoughtful and brooding. He never got the chance to ask her to hang out with him this upcoming Saturday.

The truth was, he'd secretly missed her, too. He missed walking home together. He missed shopping and doing errands in the city together. He missed tasting Kaien's "my-style" dishes together. He even missed having the same damn argument they always had about his "exhibitionism", every time they got ready for bed. He was sick with longing, and it had only been two weeks.

Yuuki sighed softly next to him.

Zero's eyes flicked towards her peaceful, sleeping face. He knew he was cheating. It was unfair to her, it was unfair for the both of them - he was taking advantage of their brother-sister relationship, using it as a free pass to hold her hand, to share the same bed...

He tightened his own grip on Yuuki's hand. Even if it was considered cheating, he'd decided three years ago never to let go of this hand.

So he closed his eyes... and he imagined what might've been, what could've been, if only he'd just screwed up enough courage to ask her, beating himself up mentally for being a coward and waiting too long... until he finally drifted off to sleep himself.

* * *

Kaname Kuran the almighty pureblood, the lord of vampires, the sole heir to the time-honored Kuran family, was **_sulking_**.

To a casual viewer, he was just patiently standing in front of the window in his private dorm room, watching the sun slowly climb above the horizon with gentle yet sad eyes. But the truth was, while the view itself was indeed lovely and serene, Kaname had so much on his mind he couldn't enjoy it. The pureblood knew, of course, where Kain had been the entire night, and why he did not return to class (he was a little jealous, too). He knew, of course, that an outsider had trespassed on school grounds and had targeted his precious, precious Yuuki-chan. He also knew, of course, that the fire-user was coming to visit his room to make a report any moment now.

When it came to general campus happenings, vampire politics, and Yuuki, Kaname made it a point to know everything.

He took a deep breath, and released the faintest of sighs. He was still a bit disappointed that he wouldn't be able to monopolize Yuuki's time until the week after the next. But it couldn't be helped. Yuuki has now begun working as a guidance counselor, the job she'd always wanted, and Kaname wouldn't ever take that away from her no matter how much it killed him on the inside. Because her smile, her happiness... was his greatest treasure.

That didn't mean he would stop sulking like a kid anytime soon, though.

Kaname smiled ruefully at his own reflection in the windowpane. What would Yuuki do if she saw him now? Chop him on the head, like she always does?

There was an abrupt knock on his door, breaking his reverie.

The pureblood's sweet smile vanished. "...Come in."

"Excuse me," Kain announced for politeness' sake and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. Because Kaname was highly attuned to his surroundings, and to the emotions bubbling deep within other vampires, he knew very well without looking that Kain was nervous.

Ah, yes - Akatsuki Kain had some part in the sulky, jealous state Kaname was in right now. Kaname had to admit that, logically speaking, of all the vampire nobles staying at the Moon Dorms Kain was one of those he should be the least worried about when it came to Yuuki. He was one of the most composed Night Class students around, never giving in to his hunger pangs, and while he continued to associate with his trouble-prone cousin Aidou he was actually very reliable and law-abiding. Plus, he clearly had feelings for Ruka Souen. Tonight, he'd only stuck with Yuuki out of a sense of duty, and nothing more.

He was being unfair to the noble, he knew - by unwittingly drawing away Souen, and envying him for guarding Yuuki when he couldn't do so. Unfortunately, Kaname Kuran the calm, composed pureblood also had moments when he couldn't help but act childishly. Logic be damned.

"...Well, Kain, I hope you have a good explanation for your tardiness. Especially since I just gave you a punishment." Kaname spoke with elegance, poise and just a hint of menace, without budging an inch from where he stood. Oh, he wasn't actually mad... he just wanted to tease the noble a little. Really, even the Night Class students within his "circle of friends" acted much too stiff around him, treating him like glass and frankly speaking, it was rediculous. Even Ichijou himself sometimes acted like he was walking on eggshells. Kaname figured they all could take a page from Yuuki's book, and learn to appreciate a good joke along with him...

Kain rushed out, "Kaname-sama, during the break I discovered that I'd misplaced my blood tablets so returned to the Guidance Office to look for them. And then this strange rat attacked Cross-sensei, so I helped her out. Unfortunately the assailant got away unscathed, and I wanted to report to you immediately, however, I was also worried that sensei would be attacked again so I stayed behind until she finally went home with Zero Kiryu."

Okay, maybe Kaname went a _little_ too far with his practical joke - the poor noble had said all of that in only a single breath. However, Kaname could not soften his stance now. Not when the conversation had spiralled down into something so grave, so quickly. "Kain, what else can you tell me about this mysterious assailant?"

Kaname had, of course, investigated on his own with Seiren's help beforehand. But he needed a confirmation straight from the horse's mouth.

"Well, the rodent had... mismatched eyes," Kain said slowly, as if he were shifting through his memories and choosing which parts were relevant. "And at first, I assumed it was nimbly avoiding my flames, but... maybe it's more accurate to say it had an affinity with fire, so it more or less escaped unharmed because of it."

Kaname couldn't stop the frown from forming on his face. Hearing the tall vampire describe it has reconfirmed his greatest fear. This could only be the work of _that man_ again.

**_Rido Kuran_**.

Almost ten years had passed since that terrible night. Kaname would never forget it.

But the pureblood didn't understand why _Yuuki_ of all people was the one being targeted. _Is that man planning on using Yuuki to get to me?_ Kaname thought angrily, slowly raising a graceful, princely hand and resting it on the window. The glass directly beneath the tips of his fingers was not made to withstand a vampire's strength, and ended up cracking under the pressure. The sound startled poor Kain, who was still in the room at the pureblood's mercy. He couldn't stop himself from gulping in dread. However, Kaname did not notice at all. He was much too wrapped up in his thoughts.

_I won't allow him to get any closer to her. I won't let anything happen to Yuuki. Not after everything she'd gone through for me that night. I can't let her shed anymore blood for my sake. This time... I will protect her at all costs._

"Kain."

"Y-yes, Kaname-sama?"

Kaname swiftly removed his hand from his poor abused bedroom window and turned around to face the noble vampire, both arms crossed behind his back. Outside, dawn was breaking, golden light streaming through the glass. To Kain, Kuran's silhouette looked like the shadow of an ethereal, avenging angel. It was both dazzling and terror-inducing.

"You will be attending the research tour on Wednesday, won't you?"

"I will."

Kaname was asking a question, but it was actually an order. Of course the pureblood knew very well that Kain wasn't going to attend the tour. But within light of recent events, Kaname had little choice but to force him to go.

"Kain... I have a favor to ask of you. It's very important, and I would be immensely indebted to you if you chose to accept."

* * *

**Second Impressions Are Everything**: **END**

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED in: **599 million ruins**

* * *

Notes:

(1) **"I'm armed and dangerous! Don't underestimate your elder, _Zero-rin_!"**

"-rin" is a rarer japanese suffix (much like "-chan") that some girls usually use when addressing other girls, and it tends to emphisize cuteness. In this case, Yuuki is purposely using it to attack Zero's manliness/man pride. Zero is understandably ticked off.


	3. Ichijou Prologue

**A/N:** I don't own Vampire Knight!

I'll give you a heads up so you don't get confused - as you know from the beginning of Kain's prologue, Kaname stopped by Yuuki's office under the pretense of school related affairs. On that note I decided not to include that part, hence this chapter and future chapters may seem a bit shorter.

Don't be turned away by how the beginning seems to be a copy pasta, and roll with it! You'll start seeing some important differences soon.

Like I told you before, just think along the lines of "butterfly effect" and "what if Yuuki did X instead of Y" as you read.

Don't forget to leave me a review!

* * *

**"The Vampire's Prayer"**

* * *

**PROLOGUE** (ver. Takuma Ichijou)

* * *

Yuuki loved her brother, and was always happy to spend time with him, no matter how inconsequential their meetings seemed to be.

Meeting Kaname in the middle of the night like this in the Guidance Counselor's office was a pleasant, welcome surprise - she really did miss him somewhat over the past few days, which was kind strange considering they always saw each other inside the school building whenever Night Classes began.

Maybe it was because they were both acting in accordance to their roles in society. Yuuki was a _sensei_, the school counselor who was to be friends with the entire student body and not favor any one in particular; Kaname was a _student_, and the head - the president - of the Night Class; the model student who had to set an example of good behavior for his fellow vampires. Which meant they had to keep their interactions to the required minimum. And these boundaries made Yuuki feel lonely, which was why she appreciated those small, precious moments she shared with Kaname outside class hours and behind closed doors.

"Yuuki-chan..."

Yuuki realized with a start that she'd been staring at her brother's face for too long.

"What's up?"

Kaname looked up from the documents he was perusing, smiling gently at her.

"I have something t-"

The phone on her desk abruptly began to ring, startling her and her brother.

"- oh..." Kaname trailed off, blinking slowly from the interruption. "...Ah. Yuuki, it's okay if you answer it." This time his smile was reassuring, which made Yuuki wonder just what kind of expression she'd had on her face a second ago.

That's when she started getting a funny feeling - a twinge in her heart. It sounded corny, but... because of it, Yuuki didn't move to answer the phone, and it continued to ring.

Once...twice... a third time...

"Yuuki-chan, aren't you going to answer that?" Kaname said, confused. "Before the caller hangs up? It must be an important call, to come so late at night like this."

The counselor almost snorted at that. She actually had a very good idea who was calling her at this late hour - and that wasn't what was bothering her. Rather, it was the timing of the phone call that did.

"..."

"Yuuki-chan?" Kaname tried again.

She could only smile sheepishly in response. Meanwhile, the phone rang some more.

Yuuki mentally shook her head and forced herself to finally stand and walk to her desk. Why was she being so melodramatic? It's just a phone call, no biggie. Yuuki snatched the thing right off it's cradle before its eleventh ring.

"Guidance Counselor's Office."

"OHHH, my darling daughter, I was soooo worried you wouldn't pick up!" Kaien Cross moaned on the other end. "The phone just kept ringing and ringing, and I couldn't help but think something terrible had happened to you!"

"Uhh, yeah, I-"

"Oh, it's alright, Yuuki-chan! I understand! No one can resist the call of Mother Nature! As long as you've finished and cleaned up properly afterwards, of course!"

"D-Dad!" Yuuki half-shouted in embarrassment.

In reality, the Headmaster of Cross Academy was speaking so loudly that Yuuki was positive Kaname could hear it all the way from the couch where he still sat. She loved her adoptive father dearly, but he could say some really strange things.

"Well, I'm honestly glad you're alright, Yuuki-chan. And now, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Make sure to leave your schedule on the twenty-third open!" Kaien sing-songed. "Takuma Ichijou of the Night Class is hosting his seventeenth birthday party, and we've both been invited! Actually, I'm quite sure sure he's going to give you an invitation directly tonight! Eheh, it's been so long since your old man has gotten the chance to party!"

"The twenty-third?" Yuuki glanced at the calendar on her desk. September 23 was... a Saturday, two weeks from now. She didn't think she had anything important to do on that day...

"Also, since we're talking about important dates, please don't forget that the barbeque will push through this coming Saturday, on the sixteenth!"

"Okay, okay..." Yuuki told him. "Well, take care..."

"H-hold on! Why are you in such a rush to hang up?! Yuuki-chan?!"

"Err- I have a guest in the office right now..."

"Oh, in that case, sorry for holding you up! Take care now! I looooove you, Yuuki-chan! Good niiiight!"

And with that, the headmaster finally hung up. Yuuki sighed and practically dropped the phone back on its cradle, feeling fatigued from the phone call. She definitely loved her father Kaien, but he could be so overwhelmingly energetic sometimes.

"Just now, was that the Headmaster?" Kaname laughed from where he sat. "I thought I recognized that voice..."

"Yes, it was." Yuuki sighed and plopped down back next to Kaname on the couch. "Did you hear everything?"

"Ah, no, I didn't hear anything else. I just knew somehow, that it was his voice. What was it about?"

"Ichijou-san's birthday party... he said."

"I see. So you will be attending as well, I take it?"

Yuuki smiled. "Of course! It isn't everyday I'm invited to a vampire noble's birthday party!"

At that particular moment, she happened to glance out the window just in time to see a dark shadow dart away from view. It happened so fast it was almost like an illusion.

"...?"

She blinked, but there was nothing there.

"Yuuki, is there something the matter?" Kaname asked, sounding concerned. He glanced at the window, too.

The counselor blushed, realizing that she had completely missed what her brother was saying. "...Sorry, Kaname. I'm just going to check something, okay?"

"...? Go ahead..."

Leaving an obviously confused vampire teen on the couch, Yuuki approached the window, drew the curtain aside, unlatched the brass lock with her finger and slid it open. A cool and gentle breeze hit her face, bringing with it the sweet scent of the black locust trees that enclosed the Academy. She could also smell freshly fallen rain - there had been a light shower earlier that evening, and everything from the stone paths to the main building itself seemed to shimmer under the light of the gas lamps standing in strategic locations all over campus. The sky was fairly cloudy; the moon was hidden and there were no stars out so the night was darker and more mysterious than usual. Combined with the gothic structure of the school building and the darkness that enveloped everything, Yuuki felt like she had opened her window right into another world. There was no sign of the shadow she saw.

"Good evening, Yuuki-sensei!"

Yuuki leaned further out of the window and looked down, spotting two male Night Class students staring up at her from the lawn below. One of them she recognized immediately as Takuma Ichijou, the birthday boy whose party she'd planned to attend the week after next. She couldn't remember the name of the slender redhead standing next to him though; just the fact that he apparently had a day job as a model. Hmmm... Who was he again?

"..."

And was it her imagination working overtime, or was the redhead staring at her rather intensely?

"Sensei, I'm glad I caught you! May I speak to you about something?" Ichijou asked, raising his voice so that it carried all the way to the third floor.

"Of course you can! I'm inside my office right now, so come on up!"

"Yes, sensei!"

Yuuki watched the two Night Class students hurry away while chatting with each other.

When they were finally out of sight, she looked around again. However, she did not see anything that could've resembled the shadow that she noticed earlier. Perhaps it was a bird, or a bat? Well, whatever it might have been, it wasn't there anymore. Satisfied with her inspection, Yuuki finally slid the window shut, making sure it was securely closed and locked and the curtain back in place.

"Sorry about that," Yuuki said apologetically.

Kaname had set down the documents he'd been perusing on the coffee table, and was now sitting with his legs crossed and his hands folded neatly on his lap. "Was that Ichijou you spoke to just now?" He questioned, smiling patiently.

Yuuki nodded. "Yup. Dad told me over the phone that Ichijou-san was going to invite me to his birthday party directly, so maybe that's why he's coming to the office?"

"Perhaps."

"Sooo, what was it you were saying earlier? I'm sorry, I was distracted."

"...It was not really important," Kaname began softly. "I just asked you if you were free-"

There was a sudden dull **crash**, effectively cutting him off as he spoke. To the young counselor, it sounded like a large number of objects cascading to the ground.

"What was that?!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "That came from the office next door, but no one should be there right now... maybe it's a burglar?!"

On the other hand, the pureblood himself was already moving, opening the Guidance Office door with a hint of irritation. "No need to worry; I shall investigate, and return to you shortly," he said to Yuuki over his shoulder before stepping out into the hallway to confront the intruder.

Yuuki knew that Kaname was more than capable of taking care of whoever it was that disturbed their quiet evening. However, she couldn't help but wonder if she could also go see for herself. She was so very curious to find out who could've risked the wrath of a pureblood vampire like this.

But then again, it really was none of her business.

Yuuki herself really needed to get back to work - if she didn't get her report done by the time the research tour on Wednesday rolled around, she was toast. Plus, she didn't want to stay longer than strictly necessary; she didn't feel quite comfortable working during the late night all alone. Sure, she was trained in combat by Kaien Cross and always carried her anti-vampire weapon around with her but she knew she wouldn't stand a chance against any of the Night Class students in a direct confrontation. Not that she ever wanted to fight them - she was here to "guide" them after all!

...In a manner of speaking. Working as a guidance counselor at Cross Academy was dangerous and, in the eyes of vampire hunters, monumentally stupid and worthless. It had only been a week since she started so nothing major had happened to her yet, but her adviser at college (who happened to be a vampire himself, no less!) had warned her time and again that she was constantly at risk of getting caught in the students' mind games; that if she weren't careful, these Night Class students could manipulate her and crush her will... and that trying to connect with any one of them would be like trying to reason with an immovable iron wall, as many noble vampires in general upheld their Darwinist views.

What did being a Darwinist have to do with emotionally connecting with vampires? Long story short, vampires in general saw themselves as superior compared to humans; they believed themselves to be above the woes of _human feelings_. It took everything Yuuki had not to crack under the sneering, judgmental gazes and whispers of the Night Class the entire week and scream at them to stop being so hypocritical.

If there was something Yuuki could feel grateful for, it would be the fact that Zero always came to check on her despite his bad habit of provoking the Night Class students. There was also Kaname, who was pulling the strings and helping her ease into her duties without too much difficulty.

Kaname...

He was trying to ask her something before, but she didn't know what it could possibly be-

"Sensei, are you there?" Her thoughts were interrupted as a muffled voice called out to her from outside, as well as a sharp knock on her office door.

Yuuki smacked her forehead, embarrassed that she'd been standing where Kaname had left her this whole time. Was he back already? That was abnormally fast, even for him. The voice didn't sound like his, though.

"Come in!"

The door swung wide open.

"Excuse me!"

Yuuki blinked at the cheerful voice, and the princely-looking blonde who stepped inside. "Oh, Ichijou-san!" She exclaimed.

"Good evening, Yuuki-sensei!" Ichijou greeted warmly, flashing a wide grin at her as he approached. "I hope I'm not intruding!"

Ichijou's redheaded companion silently followed right behind him, softly closing the office door. He didn't move away from the door though, choosing to lean on the wall next to it instead, putting his hands in his pockets. Almost immediately his blue eyes fixed on her face. ...But it was simply a blank stare, with no sign of the intensity he'd shown when he looked up at her a few minutes ago. Maybe Yuuki really did imagine it...

"Sensei, I'm so glad you looked out your window when you did!" Ichijou exclaimed dramatically, seemingly indifferent to Yuuki's confusion. "If you didn't, I wouldn't have ever found you tonight! I really was losing hope, wandering all over campus for you, you know?"

Despite herself, Yuuki found herself smiling back in response to the blonde's upbeat manner of speaking and friendly smile.

Takuma Ichijou was unique for he didn't have the same unaffected, aloof demeanor shared by the rest of the Night Class. And while at times he tended to speak like an old man, he was probably one of the most "human" vampires she had ever encountered.

"You're exaggerating, Ichijou-san. If you wanted to find me, all you needed to do was come to my office," Yuuki pointed out.

"But I did stop by, twice in fact! Right, Shiki?"

Shiki (Yuuki still didn't know if it was his first or his last name) shifted his gaze to the blonde, blinked owlishly, then slid back to Yuuki.

"...Yeah, he did," he offered.

"Hmm, maybe that was... when I was in the bathroom," Yuuki said slowly.

Ichijou's green eyes widened. "Ehh?! But, Yuuki-sensei, the second time I came to look for you was a whole hour after the first!"

"Ah, it's because I had a tummy ache."

"Oh... well, are you alright now, sensei? Was it something you ate, perhaps?"

"I honestly don't know. I mean, I'm pretty sure that the food I ate today were all nice and fresh..."

There was yet another knock on the door. It was the third one that night, all within a single hour. Yuuki called out, "come in!" and Kaname entered at once, holding a different blonde Night Class student by the ear. It looked plenty painful too, judging by the look in his blue eyes. Hovering just outside the doorway behind Kaname and his prey was a tall, unkempt-looking vampire - taller than even the pureblood himself - looking very much like a resigned victim.

"Ichijou. Shiki." Kaname acknowledged his classmates with brief glances before turning to Yuuki. "Yuuki-sensei, I am sorry that our conversation has been cut short. As much as I'd like to continue where we left off, circumstances dictate that I must personally escort these two troublemaking students back to class," Kaname politely informed her.

Yuuki almost smiled at his valiant effort not to pout and ruin his reputation in the process, although she also felt a bit disappointed that her long-awaited quality time with him had ended so soon.

She picked up the folder containing the survey findings Kaname had requested to see earlier that night and handed it to him. "Here are the preliminary survey results. Just make sure to return them as soon as you can. And don't forget to write me a report about what happened next door."

"Thank you, sensei. And I shall. On that note, I wish you a pleasant evening."

"Same here."

Kaname smiled tenderly at Yuuki, causing the blonde he held captive by the ear to audibly gasp in shock. He then looked at Ichijou. "Ichijou, come directly to my room once you are able. There is much we need to discuss."

"Eh? There was something we needed to discuss?"

The Night Class president chuckled. "Nice try Ichijou, but I will not fall for your little trick."

"Um, it's not a trick..."

"..."

Kaname face didn't show any emotion, but his eyes on the other hand...

Yuuki couldn't help but fear for Takuma Ichijou's life at that very moment.

"Ichijou..." Kaname said warningly.

Ichijou grinned at him. "-Of course I remember! I was only kidding, Kaname!"

"I thought so."

And with that, Kaname quit the room, still dragging the poor blue-eyed vampire by the ear, and the tall vampire reluctantly trailing after them.

* * *

Takuma watched closely as Kaname interacted with the guidance counselor, very much interested in what was unfolding before his eyes. Kaname and Yuuki Cross did a good job keeping everything light and impersonal, he thought. _But Kaname, you want nothing more than to sink your fangs in her neck at this very moment, don't you?_

The noble had been living together with the pureblood for nearly a decade, so naturally he was aware of Yuuki's unique relationship with Kaname, and how strong it was.

The first time Kaname had run away from the Ichijou compound on his own, Takuma had secretly followed him (and was caught red-handed). It was surreal, watching the too-serious, shy young Kaname Kuran smile and laugh with a human girl, completely at ease; it was mind-blowing that the heir to the royal family could go so far just to spend time playing and chatting with her. Takuma was shocked. And intrigued. What did the pureblood see in her? Why was she so special to him? To the point that he would defy the time-honored traditions of vampires, risk every unspoken rule, risk every taboo concerning humans, without regards for his own welfare?

After that first escapade, Takuma took it upon himself to help his friend break out of the mansion many more times to visit Yuuki. He sincerely wanted to help him... and he also wanted to satiate his curiosity of the woman whom Kaname's heart belonged to. He never participated himself (he figured that Kaname would throttle him if he tried) and simply watched from a distance.

(He also loved the charming sight of Yuuki chopping Kaname squarely on his forehead.)

And then, about two years ago, he realized something.

Yuuki Cross was growing up into the spitting image of Kaname's mother, the beautiful, revered queen of the royal family, Juri Kuran.

That was when Takuma began to wonder about Yuuki's origins... and worry about his friend. All along he'd thought that the young pureblood's affection for her was sweet, almost innocent... But did Kaname perhaps see his missing mother in Yuuki? Was that the real reason why he was so emotionally attached to her? It was a valid assumption - Takuma knew that Kaname was devastated ever since that terrible tragedy, nine and a half years ago, no matter how calm and collected he appeared to be.

Takuma wasn't the only one to notice Yuuki's uncanny resemblance to the missing Kuran Queen. The members of the vampire council had begun sniffing around her, too. His own grandfather Asato Ichijou was ordering him to spy on her in addition to spying on Kaname, to find out if she had any connection to Juri and determine if she were a threat to the council. Frankly speaking, the amount of tension and intrigue among the older vampires was rediculous, so much so that it was putting the rest of the vampire race on edge.

"Here are the preliminary survey results. Just make sure to return them as soon as you can. And don't forget to write me a report about what happened next door," Yuuki instructed the pureblood as she handed him a file folder. Her whole face had this... gentle, open and kind look to it.

_Are you even aware of the facial expression you're showing us, sensei?_ Takuma silently mused to himself.

"Thank you, sensei. And I shall. On that note, I wish you a pleasant evening."

"Same here."

The pureblood smiled tenderly at Yuuki causing Hanabusa Aidou, who he held captive by the ear, to audibly gasp in disbelief, staring at his worshipped idol with his eyes bugging out. Takuma on the other hand found that particular smile of Kaname's to be quite pleasing - if only he could get him to casually smile like that more often in front of Shiki, Aidou and the others, then life at the Moon Dorms would be a little smoother...

"Ichijou, come directly to my room once you are able. There is much we need to discuss," Kaname reminded him simply.

"Eh? There was something we needed to discuss?"

The Night Class president chuckled. "Nice try Ichijou, but I will not fall for your little trick."

"Um, it's not a trick..."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Yuuki's jaw drop, in a manner that would've been considered comical if his own life weren't in peril.

Kaname was giving him _the look_.

"Ichijou..." he said warningly.

Takuma grinned, quick to assuage him. "-Of course I remember! I was only kidding, Kaname!"

"I thought so."

The minute the Night Class President was gone, Takuma's brilliant green eyes shifted to the oblivious object of Kaname's amorous intentions. The Juri Kuran look-alike that struck fear and restlessness in the hearts of the vampire council members. The very first guidance counselor for young vampires in the entire country, maybe even in the whole world. The pretty little puzzle whose origins were enshrouded in mystery. The woman who had caught and held his interest for nearly a decade.

Takuma Ichijou had decided he was finished with just watching from the sidelines. Starting tonight, he would endeavour to solve the mystery that was the heart of Guidance Counselor Yuuki Cross.

Not for his grandfather's sake, or the council's, or even for Kaname's sake.

This was a harmless little bet he was having against himself, all for his own amusement - to keep the stifling, lifeless, gray boredom he felt at bay. A bit of intellectual stimulation, if you will.

Because picking people apart and understanding what made them tick was a guilty pleasure of his. He loved the thrill it gave him; the chase, the risk of drowning whenever he got too close to them, and the discovery of which buttons to push so he could fluster them, embarrass them, and make them tremble in anger or disgust...

This was how he always played the game - the only one really "at risk" here was himself, and he was competing against an oblivious opponent. This way, no one would get hurt except Takuma himself. Subtle fishing for information required sensitivity, discipline, wit, and the skillful use of the truth as a method of deception. And he learned all those things directly from his grandfather Asato, the most shrewd noble in vampire society. It was all well and good.

_Where did you come from? What are your likes and dislikes? What motivates you? Why did you become a guidance counselor?_

_Sensei, I'd like to get to know you better, to satisfy my burning curiosity of you... would you despise me for it?_

Kaname was now a good distance away. That Zero Kiryu, the angry teen who constantly hovered over Yuuki like a second shadow, was MIA. Shiki was present in the room, but they were friends so Takuma didn't need to worry about him reporting to Kaname.

It was time for his opening move.

"Sensei, has the Headmaster already informed you? My birthday is in two weeks, and I'm throwing a big party..." Takuma pulled out a black felt card from his inner jacket pocket and presented it to the older woman with a flourish, smiling brightly at her. "I hope you can make it, Yuuki-sensei! It would mean a lot to me."

Yuuki took the card and examined it. "Whoa, this both looks and feels really fancy. Thanks for the invite, I definitely want to go," She said. "Out of curiosity, why invite me? We're still technically strangers, aren't we? Since I've only started working last Monday. And don't vampires in general avoid inviting humans to their soirees?"

"Hmm... Generally, yes."

"So then, why?"

Takuma respected her as his senior at school, so he opted for a little frankness. "Because there will be people at the party who I don't know, and don't care to know. But at least, there could be one person who I wouldn't mind speaking to the whole night. We're strangers, just as you say. So isn't this the perfect chance to talk and get to know each other, sensei?"

Yuuki shook her head, smiling with bewilderment. "I'm flattered, but... Really? The _whole night_? I'm sure you have someone interesting to talk to, I mean a woman-"

"There is. You."

The conversation lulled, and Takuma suddenly found himself under the guidance counselor's serious scrutiny. He waited for her response with bated breath. Did he move too fast? Was he too honest? He then saw her hesitating, and sensed that she was about to ask him a piercing question that he'd much rather avoid.

But all she said in the next minute was a thoughtful, "What would you like for a birthday gift, Ichijou-san? And does it need to come specially wrapped, or...?"

"It doesn't need to be fancy," Takuma rushed to say, grateful for the unexpected break. "I'll accept anything."

"In that case, I'll bake you a cake!"

Surprisingly, Yuuki herself had given him an opportunity to drive the discussion down a more personal path.

Takuma was very tempted to ask her if she ever baked for Kaname or the Kurans before, and a number of other probing questions but settled for a more trivial, "Eh? Yuuki-sensei, you can bake?"

"O-of course I can! Why do you sound so skeptical...? I can so bake!" Yuuki insisted, crossing her arms in defiance.

"Ah, did I offend you? I'm sorry sensei, it's just..."

"Just what?"

This was now Takuma's second chance to test the waters, and he figured it was safe to take it this time. "I am not sure what Kaname will do to me if he ever found out that I received a hand baked gift from you..." He said conspiratorily, giving her a meaningful smile.

Yuuki blinked uncomprehendingly at him. "...Huuh? What are you talking about?"

Judging by that lackluster reaction, Takuma concluded that Kaname still hadn't confessed his feelings, and that the lady herself was completely unaware. Poor, poor Kaname. Well, there was no point in trying to cross a drawbridge that hasn't even been lowered yet, so-

"Not only that, I'm always uncertain about receiving anything homemade. Because you never know what people put in there. Right, Shiki?" he continued, smoothly switching tracks to a less harmful topic (for him anyways). He glanced over his shoulder at the indifferent Shiki, who just shrugged.

Yuuki bristled.

Takuma continued to smile. "Oh? Sensei, are you okay? You look kind of upset."

"...Ichijou-san, I never knew you could say such terrible things with such an innocent smile, it's creepy."

"Terrible? Did I upset you? If I did, I'm sorry."

"No, I'm not upset."

"I just really prefer not to receive homemade food, especially if your homemade cooking may not taste very nice..."

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you," Yuuki deadpanned.

"Doing what on purpose? Are you sure you are not upset? Are you okay, sensei?"

"...I'm perfectly fine."

"But Yuuki-sensei, I can see a vein popping. See? Right there on your forehead!"

Takuma blinked, and in the next second he was getting roughly shoved out the door by the guidance counselor herself.

"Sensei, you're so scary! Shiki, help me!"

"If you have no other business with me, go back to class!"

He couldn't help but laugh when the door slammed loudly in his face. So maybe he did go a little overboard with the teasing just then, but he was confident he could recoup his losses. This first round was just starting.

"Well, I'd better get to class like she says. I'll just come back during the lunch break," he said to himself outloud, walking away. He didn't worry about leaving Shiki behind, as the model had told him beforehand that he wished to speak to Yuuki Cross alone about something, and would come back to class afterwards. Whatever it was he wanted to ask her, Takuma didn't know, but he assumed he'd hear about it from Shiki himself, soon.

Takuma smiled secretly to himself as he mused, _I wonder how I should approach Yuuki-sensei later on? Do I tease her, or do I treat her with kindness? I wonder which way would help me get to the bottom of her mystery more efficiently?_

He couldn't wait to see her again.

* * *

**END OF PROLOGUE **(ver. Takuma Ichijou)


	4. Ichijou END

A/N: I don't own Vampire Knight.

Ichijou is finally done! Up next will be Zero's path!

Don't forget to drop me a review and let me know what you guys think of this fanfic!

* * *

**"The Vampire's Prayer"**

* * *

**The Unpredictable Noble's Tea Party** (Takuma Ichijou route)

* * *

Rima was waiting for Takuma outside the classroom, her hands on her hips.

"Where's Shiki**(1)**?" She demanded.

He cocked his head to one side, baffled by her show of aggression. "Shiki is at the Guidance Counselor's Office. Is there something the matter?"

"I thought he was with you."

"He was, but he needed to ask Yuuki-sensei something."

Rima stared at him hard for a few beats, her cerulean eyes flashing with impatience and anxiety before abruptly averting her eyes to the side, considering something.

"It hasn't been very long since I parted ways with Shiki. He should still be at the Guidance Office." Takuma walked behind her and gave her a gentle push forward. "Go to him, Rima."

Rima didn't need to be told a second time. Takuma watched her hurry down the hallway from which he came, smiling at her obvious concern for her co-worker. ...But that just begged the question, what was she so worried about just now? Shiki and Rima were close, and were acquainted each other even before they came to the Academy. It was natural to assume that Rima knew what Shiki wanted to ask Yuuki. Either he told her or she found out on her own, Takuma wasn't sure.

What could it possibly be about? And was it that serious, enough to warrant such behavior from the normally cold and composed Rima? Takuma didn't think twice when Shiki had told him earlier that night that he needed to speak to Yuuki alone, but now he was left wondering.

Tonight was definitely turning out to be something special.

"Vice Dorm Head. I have a message for you from Kaname-sama."

Takuma whirled around to face Kain, who was sauntering out into the hallway from the classroom. It must've been an important message, as Kain usually referred to him as the Vice Dorm Head if he meant business.

"What is it?"

"Something urgent came up, so he needs you to enforce the rules while he is away," the taller vampire explained. "Kaname-sama had left class some time ago."

Takuma's green eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oh! I finally get to do my job! It's been such a long time since I got to take command. Was that all?"

"...That's all."

Kain went back inside the classroom with obvious reluctance which greatly amused the fair-haired noble. It was enjoyable, seeing the normally calm and composed Kain act flustered. It was also rediculously easy to fluster him.

Takuma's good cheer slowly melted away into a thoughtful frown. Kaname was missing _again_? Not that he didn't take his duties as the Vice Dorm Head seriously, it was just that his role usually consisted of the boring menial tasks that involved paperwork and a signature. He was more of a secretary than a Dorm Head, really. But to be entrusted with the Night Class in this manner, with Kaname already off doing whatever it was he was doing without even talking to him directly... tonight was a special night, indeed.

His hand was reaching towards the doorknob to his classroom when his vampiric hearing picked up the distant sound of a gunshot blast, causing his entire being to freeze and his train of thought to come to a screeching halt. A sense of dread overtook him when he realized that said gunshot came from the general direction of the Administrative building... where Rima had run off to. And where he'd left Shiki and Yuuki.

Takuma heard the other vampire students begin to stir anxiously from inside the classroom, so he sighed aloud and opened the door, making his presence known. As much as he wanted to go back to the Guidance Office and see for himself if they were alright, Kaname had given him this watchdog task to do. And he would carry out his will without question, like always.

Besides, Rima must have reached Shiki by now; he was confident that between the two of them, they could tackle anything.

* * *

Zero Kiryu was not completely rude.

He had basic manners and utilized them when needed while walking through Academy grounds or hanging around the city... except whenever vampires were involved. He didn't bother being polite around beasts, as to him they deserved nothing of the sort. So when he sensed the presence of a vampire inside Yuuki's office he charged in without knocking, his entire being already in full-on attack mode, Bloody Rose's safety off, adrenaline shooting through his system.

He saw Night Class student Senri Shiki with both of his hands wrapped around Yuuki's upper arms, leaning close to her.

Zero was reacting to the scene before he was even aware of it himself, moving in close to his blue-eyed target.

The male model saw this coming, too. Probably. But he didn't even flinch when he felt the cold steel gun barrel was jammed roughly against his right temple. Nor did he try to move away, or defend himself. Yuuki blinked rapidly - she was still trying to catch up to everything that was going on.

Zero growled, "Let her go, you miserable creature."

Shiki's blue eyes sized up the silver-haired teen, the weapon pressed against the side of his head and the bewildered girl he still held by the arms. But before he could do or say anything, a different voice cut through the thick atmosphere.

"Kindly lower your weapon, Zero Kiryu."

There was a blur of orange just as Zero's finger tightened on the trigger of his gun-

**BANG!**

"Whoa?!" Yuuki was unceremoniously hauled away from Shiki and sent sprawling face first into a couch.

Rima Touya glared hard at the silver-haired teen, her position defensive and alert. "Zero Kiryu, I'll ask you again. Kindly lower your weapon. We don't want any trouble."

Zero did not respond to the girl, instead keeping his gun's sights sole trained on Shiki, who now stood a few feet away, his body language deceptively calm and indifferent.

The situation inside the Guidance Counselor's Office was now less than ideal. Yuuki had recovered quickly from her embarrassing fall and was trying her very best to hold Zero back but really, there wasn't much she could do if all he needed to do was pull the trigger. She considered it a miracle that he didn't hit anyone when he fired off his warning shot earlier!

Yuuki didn't have the speed or the strength of the vampires so there was only one thing she could _really_ do. "Zero, it's okay. I'm okay. Just please let me explain; it's all a misunderstanding!" She pleaded.

The silver-haired teen's eyes narrowed. "...Leave," he brusquely ordered the two vampire teens after a moment of tense silence.

Rima took Shiki by the hand and dragged him straight out of the Guidance Office without looking back. Slowly but surely, the atmosphere inside the room gradually lightened.

Yuuki took a deep breath, relieved that the danger had passed. For some reason, she was fully aware of the crickets chirping outside - it was as if the whole world had stopped completely when Zero and Rima had busted into the office and was resuming to turn only at this moment.

"Zero-"

"You idiot! Don't let your guard down like that again!" Zero whirled around, confronting her.

"I _told_ you, it was a misunderstanding!" Yuuki insisted. Inside, she was baffled by the apparent worry and anger in his voice. Why was he acting so weird? "I tripped on a pen and he caught me before I fell, that's all!"

There was indeed a broken pen on the floor near the couches - right where Shiki and Yuuki had been standing when Zero had made his "heroic" entrance into the Office. She was probably telling the truth. But Zero was still skeptical.

"Really?"

"Really!"

"...Idiot, if that really was all that happened then why are you making that kind of face?"

"I-I-I... what face?!"

"This face." His voice dropped to a lower, more subdued pitch. Without warning, Zero closed the distance between him and Yuuki-

"...?!"

-and poked her hard on her cheek. "This ugly, disturbed face."

"Rrgh!" Yuuki smacked his hand away with a huff.

"Yuuki."

"What, Zero?"

"You don't have any urgent work to do tonight, right? Let's go home," Zero suggested.

"Go home...?"

Yes, Yuuki could do that. And although she was in the middle of finishing filling in a report and some paperwork for the upcoming research tour, she figured that she could continue working tomorrow. She was pretty good at managing her own time so she was confident she could finish on schedule. It would be so easy - all she needed to do was pick up her bags, register her departure from the work and allow her adoptive brother to lead her out the door and into the night...

"...I'm sorry Zero, but I can't go home yet," Yuuki said eventually. "It's still a few hours too early for me to clock out. Besides, I have paperwork I'd like to finish as soon as possible. And I need to report to Kaname about this."

"..."

When he didn't reply, Yuuki began to fret. "Zero, I'll be fine on my own, I promise! Okay?"

"What time do you get off from work?"

"Eh?"

"Tell me what time you get off from work so I can pick you up," he repeated impatiently.

Yuuki had half a mind to tell him he didn't need to do that, but then realized this was a small concession she had to be willing to make. _If I don't do this, he may end up breathing down the back of my neck for the rest of the night_, she thought wryly.

Yet, despite how much she wanted to feel irritated about his relentless nagging, she could feel her insides grow warm with gratitude. Zero really did care for her.

"I'll be ready to leave by 1:30am - it takes me about 15 minutes to fix everything and lock up, anyways."

He nodded and turned around to leave. "Then I'll swing by the office around 15 minutes before that time."

"You don't need to, Zero!" Yuuki protested, but he just ignored her, making his way out the door when he stopped short and looked at the older woman over his shoulder.

"Take care." With that short statement, he was gone.

She shook her head and glanced at her clock. It was almost midnight.

Without meaning to, she suddenly recalled the strange events that had transpired between her and Shiki before Zero had "saved" her; she couldn't stop her body from trembling at the memory of the redhead's surprisingly strong grip and the intensity of his gaze.

But what really confused her was what he'd called her after she had thanked him for catching her.

* * *

During the Night Class' break, Takuma found himself in the company of a slightly annoyed Rima and a Shiki who wasn't paying much attention to him. It was most unusual. But when Takuma tried to get some kind of explanation out of the two of them all they did was mumble about Zero Kiryu, Yuuki's loyal silver guard dog and not much else.

It did not seem like too serious of an incident, but the pair did not seem to be in the mood to talk - which just baffled the princely-blonde further.

"What I want to know is how Headmaster Cross could allow people like him to wander about in a school that is supposed to promote peace." Ruka Souen's remark was directed towards everybody sitting at the table. "And how dare he point an anti-vampire gun at Rima and Shiki? If he does anything to us or to Kaname-sama again, I'll personally take care of him myself."

"Wait, Ruka! Kiryu-kun was raised by the Headmaster himself. I know you don't like it, but please try to get used to his presence," Takuma cautioned. "Because Headmaster Cross cares for him like a son. Also, I believe he will become a school prefect once he enrolls in the following term - which means he will also be tasked to protect our secret."

Ruka's disapproving frown only deepened. "Zero Kiryu, a disciplinary prefect? You must be joking; we need protection from him!"

"Ah, but if things get out of hand Yuuki-sensei can intervene for us, right?" Takuma reasoned pleasantly. "Yuuki-sensei is a guardian as well, after all. Which makes her both Kiryu-kun's sensei _and_ senpai**(2)**. He will surely listen to her."

"...He did back down when Yuuki Cross asked him to," Rima supplied reluctantly. "But I don't trust her yet. I'll wait and see."

"You should have taught that jerk a lesson, Touya," Hanabusa Aidou said, expertly swirling the water in his glass. "I can't believe I'm agreeing with Ruka, but what he did was completely uncalled for!"

Kain looked at Shiki. "What _did_ you do to set him off like that, anyways?"

It was Rima who answered instead. "While they were talking, Yuuki Cross slipped on something. Shiki caught her before she fell. It was at that very moment Zero Kiryu walked into the office," she told him curtly.

"...Aah, 'walked' is an understatement, but yeah, that's what happened," Shiki confirmed, sounding very bored.

"Ichijou-sama, will you be reporting this incident to Kaname-sama?" Ruka asked.

"I will, once I have had my tea. Actually-" Takuma stood up from his seat, finished with his meal. "-I will first need to speak to Yuuki-sensei about this unfortunate incident, and confirm if what Shiki and Rima has told me are true."

"What, you don't trust your own friends' word?" Aidou said with a touch of something not very nice.

Shiki didn't seem to be listening to the conversation anymore. He was leaning on Rima's shoulder, his eyes closed and his breathing even. Rima herself just stared blankly at Aidou after he made that comment, making him slightly uncomfortable.

Takuma just laughed. "That's not it. If I don't conduct my duties as Vice President properly Kaname will chew me out, you know? See you guys later."

* * *

Yuuki carefully climbed to her feet and sighed wearily, glancing about the room. She had just spent the past half hour fixing up the mess that was caused by the Night Class students at the General Services Office. So far, she had only finished gathering up most of the scattered paperwork and regrouping the books into easily discernable piles. Yuuki was healthy and athletic but she wasn't strong enough to lift the fallen bookshelf by herself, and she didn't really understand the content of most of these papers so she couldn't put everything back where they belonged.

She was also looking for a certain printout she'd submitted to General Services earlier that week, but even after all of her cleaning efforts is was nowhere to be seen. Could somebody have gotten their hands on it? ...What possible use could a thief have for it in the first place?

"Ugh, I give up!" Yuuki exclaimed outloud. Her neck and shoulders felt sore from bending down all the time. She reached up to rub her neck when something about her fingers caught her eye. Her fingers, fingernails and palms were covered in dirt.

"Yuck. I need to wash my hands," Yuuki said, making a face, and decided against massaging the back of her neck for now. Instead, she left a note for her co-workers explaining the events that transpired in General Services and locked up.

Where was the closest accessible sink located? There was always the ladies' room near the cafeteria, but because it was still the Night Class' "lunch time" there was a chance of her running into a student when frankly, she didn't feel up to seeing any of them right now. Specifically, she didn't want to run into Shiki and Rima. On the other hand the staircase at the end of this hallway led down directly to the outdoor swimming pool - as well as the communal outdoor sinks. But this was a bit further away than the ladies' room, and there was a chance that the sinks wouldn't be operational at this time of night.

"Okay, I guess I'll try my luck at the swimming pool," Yuuki said to herself, and started walking towards the back stairs. She giggled. "If the sinks don't work, I guess I can wash my hands in the pool water or something, hee hee."

Outside, the night was just starting to lighten up as the heavy clouds obscuring the moon lessened and drifted along. At the very least, it was bright enough so Yuuki could see where she was going.

When she had looked down over the school grounds from her office window earlier, the view was magical, maybe even mystical. But actually walking along the stone paths here was spooky. Yuuki suppressed a shiver and hastened her pace. The sooner she got this over with, the better.

At last she made it to the southern steel gate to the outdoor pool. She tried to turn the lever but it barely budged. Locked, most likely.

"Oh, _come on_! I do not want to walk all the way back!"

Jimmying the handle produced nothing. She exhaled loudly. "Well, it's not like I'll get anywhere by just standing around and whining."

With a flash of metal, the Artemis Rod was whipped out of its hiding place and extended to its full capacity. "There! This should do the trick!" Yuuki exclaimed proudly, expertly twirling it around like a majorette. Indeed, it was quite long - about ten feet. With this improvised vaulting pole Yuuki would have no problems leaping over the gate to the other side.

* * *

Takuma sighed dejectedly as he strolled along the edge of the swimming pool. He had been planning to hold his little private tea party next to the aforementioned pool, but at the moment he just couldn't bring himself to sit still. "Bleak... my situation right now looks so bleak... why oh why did my grandfather have to call me at a time like this?" He mumbled to himself, only half aware of his surroundings. He snickered softly, bitterly, "he could have at least asked me how I was doing..."

Asato Ichijou, the head of the most important Aristocrat vampire family of them all had made a long-distance call to his grandson simply to hear an update on Kaname's movements within Cross Academy. Takuma was long used to these brusque phone calls of course, but he couldn't help but wish his grandfather would lighten up.

And this phone call only served as a reminder of the precarious position of conflicting loyalties Takuma found himself in - the only mind game he didn't want to play at all. He wanted out. He wanted to break free and take a step in a direction of his own choosing. But he also felt guilt at the thought of betraying Kaname or his grandfather. Takuma Ichijou felt stuck. Could he really go on like this?

"Oh, ye angels on high, I know I don't pray to you often but this would be the perfect time to throw down an ounce of good luck down my way!" Takuma begged loudly over the chirping crickets and the blowing breeze, his arms outstretched up towards the sky in a half serious, half self-mocking plea. As he stared up at the clouded sky, waiting for a sign (but not really), a shadow shaped like a girl sailed right into his line of sight.

His mouth dropped open. "What in...?!"

"_Look ooouuut_!"

Takuma's arms and body moved reflexively, and the body fell right into his arms with a **_thud_**.

A familiar voice groaned. "O-owww..."

"...Now there's a surprise. An angel really did come falling down." Takuma quipped. He blinked once, twice. No matter how he looked at it, it was Guidance Counselor Yuuki Cross who had dropped into his arms. With an anti-vampire weapon was clenched tightly in her fists.

"S-sorry about that, and thanks for catching m-" Yuuki began to apologize but then she caught sight of the face of her savior. "-Ichijou-san?! What are you doing here?! Oh my gosh, I hope I didn't hurt you or anything!"

"Come now, Yuuki-sensei. You fall as light as a feather." Takuma's green eyes were twinkling with mirth. "But why on earth were you flying around like that? If I didn't catch you, you would have landed right in the pool, you know?"

Yuuki sheepishly told him what she had done. "I was prepared for a rough landing, but I never imagined I'd get caught out of the air like this..." Yuuki said when she had finished explaining herself.

Takuma could only shake his head and laugh again, rendered thoroughly speechless by the lengths she'd taken just to_ wash her hands_. This was the second time he'd had the pleasure of her company within the span of a few hours, even when he had initially thought he would never get the chance to do so. At least, not after whatever it was that transpired in the Guidance Office after he left. His earlier dour mood caused by his grandfather's phone call was slowly dissipating. This night wasn't turning out so bad after all!

Without another word, he eased her back on her feet so she was standing again. Yuuki retracted her weapon and put it away.

"Thanks again for catching me, Ichijou-san," Yuuki said, making her way to the outdoor sinks. When she turned the knob and clear water gushed out of the faucet, Yuuki's shoulders heaved with a sigh of relief. She immediately thrusted her palms under the rushing water.

"You're welcome, Yuuki-sensei. But I hope you'll keep both of your feet planted firmly on the ground from henceforth," Takuma joked. "What would you do if Kaname or Kiryu-kun witnessed what you just did?"

"I don't know about Kaname, but Zero would probably catch me like how you did. And yell at me for it," Yuuki said bluntly. She turned off the faucet and shook her hands dry. She gasped and whirled around. "Hey, you're not going to tattle on me, are you?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," the blonde assured her empathetically, placing his hand over his heart. "This is a scout's honor!"

"I see," Yuuki said although Takuma could tell by the sound of her voice she doubted he was ever a boy scout.

Takuma's grin slowly faded. He found that he couldn't keep his gaze off her for very long; because he was a vampire, he could still see clearly in this darkness. There wasn't anything especially fancy about her hairdo, but its simplicity helped draw attention to her facial features - her high cheekbones, her cute nose, her soft lips and her honest brown eyes. Yuuki definitely wasn't of the same brand as those divinely beautiful female vampires of the Night Class, but he felt that the more he saw of her the more he'd come to appreciate her. Continuing on his visual tour he realized that her chin had a slightly defiant tilt to it. Sassy. His gaze dropped a bit lower, lingering upon the graceful curve of her neck-

"Ichijou-san, could I ask you something?" Yuuki spoke so softly he would've missed it if he didn't have such excellent hearing. "Why did you invite me to your birthday party? I mean, c'mon, the reason you gave me back at the Guidance Office was just a joke, right? Since Shiki-san was there, too. Could it be that we've met once before and I don't remember it?"

"No," he said. "We've never formally met each other before tonight. But I had been watching you these past few years-" He cut himself off when the guidance counselor turned to give him a sharp look. Realizing his words sounded awfully like he'd been stalking her he rushed to say, "Wait, it's not what it sounds like! You see, whenever Kaname snuck out of the Ichijou compound to see you, I would always lend him a hand by acting as the lookout so you two wouldn't get caught."

Yuuki took a deep breath and nodded. "Right. Kaname had also told me about you." She smiled ruefully at him. "Sorry for overreacting Ichjou-san, it was just sort of a knee-jerk reaction for me."

Takuma blinked curiously at her admission. "Ohhh, so you had lots of male admirers when you were in high school, huh?"

"Not exactly. I was a member of the school's female swim team in high school. And being in the female swim team you tend to get some..." she waved her hand airily to complete the sentence.

"Yes, I suppose with a body like yours you would have every pervert on campus after you."

"Wh- oh, shut up!"

If the blonde wasn't looking directly at the counselor he would've missed out on seeing the most amusing blush ever to grace her features. Takuma thought that she looked rather becoming this way, and he felt a little proud of himself for causing it. Really, when was the last time he'd casually flirted with a woman? Never, he realized. With his grandfather and his cronies keeping constant vigil over his interactions with friends of the opposite sex, marriage candidates who were more interested in his heritage rather than himself and Kaname drawing most of the female attention besides, Takuma had never found a woman he could openly speak to like how he was doing with Yuuki right now.

"Uh. So. You never told me the real reason why you invited me to your birthday party." Yuuki said once she had recovered. "And don't you dare say anything about the shape of me."

"Ah. That would be difficult," he replied with a lazy grin. "But I think the real question here is why you choose to accept my invitation. To quote your earlier observation, we are technically strangers to each other."

"I'm curious," Yuuki confessed. "About vampire society, I mean. Kaname tells me some, and I studied it under my counseling mentor but I still want to know what it's like firsthand. It would really help my studies, too."

_So, you are this type of girl._

Takuma liked her answer. The noble himself was also constantly pursuing new things to learn about humans. In this sense, they had similar goals. And already found himself supporting hers. "I see, I see! If it's the inner workings of vampire society you wish to know about, then why don't you start with me, Yuuki-sensei?" Struck by a sudden idea, he gestured across the swimming pool where a table and chairs had been elegantly set up on the other side. "Would you like to have some tea with me until the end of the Night Class' break?"

* * *

"Would you like to have some tea with me until the end of the Night Class' break?"

Yuuki's eyes widened. She couldn't believe how appealing the invitation sounded. When she had entered university she was sometimes asked by her friends to hang out - invitations she didn't mind accepting once in a while, and she usually had a good time. But never before had she felt so excited about spending time with someone who wasn't Kaname, Zero, her father or her uncle, Isaya.

Ichijou misinterpreted her hesitation. "I promise I won't lay a finger on you, Yuuki-sensei."

"If that's the case then I am definitely not going," Yuuki shot back without thinking. But in the next moment, they both shared a good laugh.

He held up his hand, palm upwards, for her to take. She placed placed her own hand on his eagerly. The noble began to lead her to the table but then hesitated. "Are you sure, sensei? Even if Kaname or Kiryu-kun sees us? They may get the wrong idea. And if anyone from the Night Class spots us together it will be all over the place that the guidance counselor is fraternizing with the Vice Dorm Head."

Yuuki felt touched by his words and his intent. Just how many other teenagers would have acted with the consideration he was showing her? "Thanks for thinking of me Ichijou-san, but I accepted because I didn't see anything wrong with drinking tea with the student who extended me the offer. Besides, you're the one on break. Are you sure you want to spend it with the boring old counselor, and ruin your reputation?"

He smiled sweetly at her and started walking again. "Something such as drinking tea with a school authority won't surprise anybody from the Night Class. And..."

"And?"

"You aren't boring, Yuuki-sensei," he murmured thoughtfully. "Not at all."

She certainly hoped so. It was as if half the time she felt like she didn't even know what she was doing - and Yuuki figured that if she sensed it, the vampire students could, too. And in her opinion, nothing was more boring -and annoying - than dealing with someone like that. As much as possible, she wanted to become a counselor the Night Class students wouldn't mind speaking to. Because this was an important step she needed to accomplish if she wanted to have her dream realized.

A few moments later, Yuuki was settled in at the rather cutely decorated table. Seeing the vase of purple roses in the center tickled her senses - she was a sucker for beautiful flowers, and roses were one of her favorites. Meanwhile Ichijou stood with his back to her, preparing the cups at the cart. "Do you do this often?" She asked.

"If you mean this then yes, I often take my tea outside until classes resume."

"Alone?"

"Usually. Because Shiki and Rima don't like coming outside right after lunch. But on rare occassions Kaname will join me. That's why I always have some narazuke**(3)** on hand for him."

"Kaname... and narazuke..." Yuuki couldn't help but surreptitiously glance at the small dish of pickled vegetables that was sitting innocently next to the bowl of sugar candy. Now it didn't look so innocent anymore. "Ehh, what an incredible combination!"

Ichijou just laughed loudly in response, carefully placing a blue ceramic cup and its matching saucer down in front of her. "Actually this is a new kind that I haven't ever tried before. I hope we'll both enjoy it."

"Really? What's it called?" She eagerly but carefully lifted the cup to her lips. The hot liquid both soothed and fortified her, and had a subtle fruity taste.

"This tea is called 'Bohemian Raspberry'."

It took Yuuki everything she had not to spit. _"What?!"_ She managed, shakily setting her cup back down so she wouldn't spill.

Ichijou laughed again, settling in the chair right across the table from her. "I always try tea blends with unusual names, so it's not often for one to catch my attention. But this one in particular was exceptional, I'd say. How did you like it?"

"I like it," she said. "But I like fruity or sweet tasting tea blends to begin with so I'm a little biased, hehe."

"Is that so?" Ichijou gracefully brought his own cup to his mouth, closing his eyes as he savored the taste. The counselor watched him for his reaction, and couldn't help but notice that while the dishes they were using looked like china she could buy at any department store, the bottoms of the cups and saucers were engraved with an authentic-looking family crest. It reminded her just how privileged he was.

"...I like it, too." Ichijou said a minute later, smiling mischievously. "And from now on, whenever I drink Bohemian Raspberry I will think of you, sensei."

"Rrgh! You're doing it _again_!"

"Doing what?"

"Geez, didn't anyone ever teach you not to mess with your elders?" Yuuki huffed, but she was smiling also. "I can only imagine what Kaname has suffered through all these years around you. Like what you did to the poor man earlier at my office."

"But Kaname can be quite devious, too! In fact I still have yet to one-up him on anything. He thwarts all of my attempts to play prank him, too."

The mental image of a young Kaname smoothly dodging trap after trap while a young Ichijou looked on from the sidelines in shocked disbelief made Yuuki giggle. _How cute!_

"So, you wanted to know a little bit about vampire society. What in particular should I talk about?"

She leaned forward eagerly. "Anything. Everything."

"Then I'll tell you about the one basic principle which vampires live by."

"Which is...?"

Ichijou's face and voice became slightly subdued, and his green eyes appeared to lose their shine. "Blood purity."

"Blood purity? You're talking about vampiric blood, right? Did I say that right?"

"Yes. For vampires, blood purity is extremely important because for us it equates to power. It is taken into consideration for almost everything we do - such as marriages, pacts, offspring... it helps govern our entire hierarchy. That is also where we have based our class systems. Purebloods and aristocrat vampires - such as myself - are expected to protect our bloodlines and keep them strong for future generations to come."

"But if you put it that way... the vampire race is a society ruled solely by power alone."

He shook his head. "That's putting it too broadly, sensei."

"Maybe so, as I still haven't the faintest idea what goes on in your world. Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

Yuuki drank the rest of her tea as she thought about how best to word her inquiry. "So, if the blood purity of a vampire lessens, so does his standing in vampire society. Am I correct?"

"That would be a very good reason to lose whatever position he had, yes. And so aristocrat children are encouraged to find mates with other vampires of the same level or higher," he said as he carefully refilled her tea cup.

The conversation lulled as the pair enjoyed their tea.

"Was there anything else you wanted to ask, sensei?"

"There's no need to. I've actually learned a lot more than you realize. Thank you," Yuuki said pleasantly. "I kind of wish Kaname had told me this himself, though. ...Speaking of Kaname, I have something to report to him. Do you know where I could find him?"

The blonde shrugged. "I actually haven't seen him since you kicked me out of your office. He even had me take over his duties for the rest of the evening. Is it an urgent matter? If you want, I can hear you out."

Yuuki considered this. Yes, he was the Vice Dorm Head after all. And if Kaname was indeed missing, then speaking to Ichijou was only logical. "Um, the entire Night Class must be aware of this already, but... Zero fired his anti-vampire gun in warning tonight, in my office, during a confrontation with Shiki-san..."

After her explanation, she also answered Ichijou's routine questions. "Okay, I understand what happened. Thank you for the report Yuuki-sensei, and be assured that I will personaly pass it on to Kaname." His green eyes reflected his concern. "But more importantly, are you alright? It must've been pretty scary."

"I'm tougher than I look," Yuuki drawled. "But thanks for worrying about me."

"And as an apology on behalf of the Night Class, I will allow you to ask me one extremely personal question about vampires tonight. You can ask about anything you want!"

"Really... anything I want..." Yuuki murmured thoughtfully. "Then answer me honestly - can vampires tell if a human woman is on her menstrual period or not?!"

Ichijou burst into laughter, even harder than ever.

Yuuki's eyebrow twitched. "I sure am cracking you up tonight."

"Ahh, no, I'm sorry... I was just caught off guard. What brought this on?"

"Weeell, I've been thinking about it ever since I watched that vampire movie that came out last month."

The blonde's face visibly brightened at the mention of the movie. "Oh, that movie! Yes, I've also watched it! I thought it was wonderful in the beginning. As for the way it ended, hm, it could have been better I suppose."

"I know, right?" Yuuki shook her head. "They claimed the ending was going to be a tragedy but it wasn't. Then again I should have known better than to trust a trailer."

"I was disappointed, too." Ichijou nodded his head sagely. "Now, as for your original question - about whether or not vampires can sense if a woman is on her period... yes, we can."

She grimaced. "Which means during almost every changeover, the Night Class smells the scent of blood from the girls who try to mob them. And the more girls there are, the higher the chance for something to go horribly wrong! Perhaps the Chairman's idea to make Zero a disciplinary prefect isn't such a weird idea after all."

"Indeed. At the beginning of this year, there were only a handful of Night Class students so between Kaname and I, keeping them under control was no problem. But one by one new vampires enrolled, and some Day Class girls have even managed to sneak into the Moon Dormitory. Luckily it does not happen very often, but even so, the posted school guards cannot catch them all."

"But will Zero be okay patrolling on his own?" Yuuki mused aloud. "The school grounds are huge..."

Ichijou gave her a meaningful look. "You really care about each other."

He wasn't asking a question, but she felt compelled to say something nonetheless. "Um, yes. We do." It was a little embarrassing to say outloud, though.

"Hmm. No wonder Kaname has been moping about lately." He finished his tea and checked his watch. "Ah, look at the time! I'll need to be back in class in a few minutes. Thank you for your company, Yuuki-sensei - tonight has become very interesting because of you."

"Huh? What time is it?"

"Eight minutes to one."

"Ack!" Yuuki gasped and stood up really fast from her chair. "I have to get ready to leave!" _And Zero will be at my office to pick me up real soon!_

Her abrupt movement caused her empty tea cup to tip and roll off the dish, very close to the edge of the table-

"Oh no!"

She moved to grab it but the noble was quicker, and the tea cup gracefully dropped into his waiting palm. "It's okay, Yuuki-sensei. I am always catching things that fall," he told her with a knowing smile. "So you should hurry back. The western pool entrance is open - I used it myself, so I know."

Yuuki nodded her head vigorously and dashed away towards the western pool entrance, which led right out into the trees. It was actually the longer path but Yuuki didn't feel like vaulting over walls again anytime soon. "Sorry for the trouble, Ichijou-san! And thanks again for the tea and for saving me earlier!" She called out over her shoulder. Yuuki saw him wave at her just as she emerged from the outdoor pool area and into the deep dark forest, the trees blocking her view of him.

And then she realized - he still hadn't told her the real reason why he invited her to his birthday party.

Perhaps he really was telling the truth? Earlier that night, at the Guidance Office the aristocrat had told her that he invited her because he wanted to get to know her better.

But it was such an ambiguous statement she'd immediately thought there to be a hidden meaning in his words.

Well...

He did such a good job avoiding that question entirely tonight. So Yuuki was now ninety-nine percent sure her hunch was right. But what was he playing at? What did he want from her?

By the time Yuuki made it back to the safety of her office - where Zero already waited, fifteen minutes earlier just as she predicted - she didn't really have an answer.

* * *

******The Unpredictable Noble's Tea Party**: END

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED in: **599 million ruins**

* * *

Notes:

(1) **"Where's Shiki?" She demanded.**

I had to go back and check for myself, but apparently both Rima and Ichijou refer to Senri Shiki by his family name (which is Shiki). Shiki refers to Ichijou as "Ichijou" or "Ichijou-san" so I guess there's no problem there, but why is Rima referring to Shiki by his surname when Shiki is on a first-name basis with her (also confirmed: he calls her "Rima")? This is a very interesting situation.

(2) **"Yuuki-sensei is a guardian as well, after all. Which makes her both Kiryu-kun's sensei _and_ senpai..."**

First sentence: Yuuki is an official school guardian appointed by Kaien Cross, but that does _not_ make her a disciplinary prefect like how Zero will soon be. She's a guidance counselor, after all! How does this work? As explained by the manga, the title of "prefect" was a kind of cover story for canon!Yuuki and Zero's "school guardian" jobs. More on this will be explained in a different chapter.

Second sentence: Ichijou is saying that because Yuuki is the guidance counselor, she will be Zero's "sensei" once he becomes an official student. In the same vein, Yuuki was made a school guardian by Chairmain Cross before Zero, which makes her Zero's "senpai" when he finally becomes a guardian.

(3) **"...That's why I always have some narazuke on hand for him."**

Narazuke is vegetables pickled in sake lees.


End file.
